Prelude to a Legend
by Demetrios
Summary: I present you with an alternate fourth season to Yu-Gi-Oh!. It may have a similar feel, but it is much different in scope. Yugi and company investigate strange attacks lead by a mysterious cult, with the help of two original characters.
1. Chapter 1

Prelude to a Legend

Chapter I

Unnatural Nightfall

Ever since those days, I have not forgotten the role I played in the safety of this world, and possibly many others.

"This look like a nice place, doesn't it, _mon chérie_?" my girlfriend Lily asked me.

"Yeah, it does," I agreed. It's hard to believe that this was the night that started it all. It was just another lovely date with my ladylove, Lily Beaumont. We were walking in the moonlit park, enjoying the evening. At the park, we had a very pleasant walk, but we only got as far as halfway, as when we got to an open part of the park, we started dancing under the moonlight. We didn't care that we weren't wearing formal clothes, as long as we danced beautifully in each other's arms and looked into each other's blue eyes. I was happy then, at peace. Being with Lily always made me happy. Then we decided to head home for now.

"Did you like our evening?" she asked.

"Very much, really," I said. "And you?"

"Quite. It was lovely," she answered. "But I enjoyed dancing with you more." Hearing that made me smile. These were not our only interests: another of our passions is the game of Duel Monsters. That's why we were lucky enough to both move to Domino City, Japan, where Duel Monsters is not just a card game - it's a way of life. It's even the home of the King of Games himself: Yugi Moto. Though speaking of dueling, even though Lily and I love each other deeply, we couldn't be more different in the arena. Lily is a very demure and intelligent strategist, using many Effect Monsters and impressive Trap Cards. Not for me, though. I prefer to clobber my enemies to tiny bits with powerful Monsters. As a matter of fact, I even have some of the strongest Monsters in the game, including such favorites as Gate Guardian, Masked Beast Death Guardius, Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, Guardian Grarl, and Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. However, as helpful as they are in my achieving of victory, the most important card in my deck is the Cure Mermaid, for she reminds me of my own girlfriend. That's why I never sacrifice her and always keep her out of the Graveyard. Lily is a bit annoyed by such extreme protection of a Duel Monster, but there is a card in her deck who reminds her of me as well: the Dark Magician. Of course, she's not as protective of him; she'll sacrifice him to make a combination involving him, such as the Magician of Black Chaos or the Dark Paladin.

But enough about our dueling strategies. On the topic of Domino City, it was peaceful when we arrived, but shortly thereafter…we caught wind of strange happenings. On the news, there were reports of bizarre animals that should have looked familiar, but didn't. Before showing those pictures, the news reporters warned us that "What you're about to see may disturb you"; they were right to say it. Not to mention that a team of researchers and biohazard specialists employed by the Ministry of the Environment brought back findings of unnatural happenings in the forest at the foothills of Mt. Fuji. If that wasn't enough, many farmers voiced outrage that their prized steers and bulls were reduced to mere skeletons. So far, no one had any explanation as to what these events were or what - or who - was causing them. But back to the present, once we got into Lily's house, the real fun began…as did the adventure that changed us all.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked invitingly.

"Gladly," I said, and helped her out of the car. Thankfully, her parents and siblings were out of town for a while, leaving her some time for herself, because as soon as we closed her bedroom door, our clothes started flying off. I deeply kissed her, and as much as she moaned into it, she reluctantly broke it off and put her fingers on my lips.

"Not just yet, my love. Allow me to slip into something more…comfortable," she said. My dick started to grow and stiffen at the thought of what she would wear. She opened her closet door, and brought out what she knew I couldn't resist: her favorite pair of black silk opera gloves, a pair of smoky black silk stockings, and along with those her favorite pair of boots: knee-high, black leather, square toes and stiletto heels. In addition, her long, wavy blonde hair gently shimmered in the moonlight. She started slowly sliding the gloves on to entice me even more, and as soon as the black silk enshrouded her arms, she decorated a few of her silky fingers with rings to look even more beautiful. For her left hand, she slipped a golden ruby ring on her index finger and a silver sapphire one on her ring finger, while on her right hand she slipped a white gold emerald ring on that ring finger, and finally a silver diamond one on her pinky. With that done, she smiled as she sat in her computer chair and seductively crossed her legs.

"Mmm, could you put these on for me, love?" Lily said while still holding the boots, affectionately winking at me. This I could definitely not resist. Wordlessly, I crawled to her, and slid the leather shaft of one boot up her leg until her foot was snugly inside. I zipped it up and did the same for her other leg. She moaned as the combination of silk and leather caressed her legs, and she rewarded my affectionate gesture with a soft kiss on my neck. Immediately I lowered her girdle and snaked my tongue into her moistening wet cave. She moaned and wrapped her legs around me as I caressed her inner folds with my tongue, but then slowly backed away from it and gently turned my head upward with her delicate fingers so we looked into each other's eyes.

"Want to put something else in there?" she said in a very breathy voice. I smiled naughtily as I knew what this meant. She walked over to the bed, and her stiletto heels turned her walk into an erotic dance. I followed in a way that almost suggested hypnosis. We kissed again, and then Lily pushed me onto the bed, smiling as she did. She crawled over me, moaning as she did, and caressed my chest, especially my nipples, with her gloved hands, and then my neck. Grinning, she gave me a deep French kiss. I couldn't begin to describe how good it felt, especially when she started rubbing her silk- and leather-covered legs along my own.

"You like that, don't you?" she said breathily, and started rubbing her big supple breasts along my lips. I started kissing them, and with that, along with all the rubbing she was doing, I got so horny I thought I'd go insane. Lily grinned again. As she started rubbing again, I inserted my incredibly hard and hot cock into her waiting wet cave. She gasped and released a whispering moan as it slid in, prompting her to French kiss me again. I started to thrust wildly, and grabbed her beautiful breasts to squeeze them. Lily was so flooded with carnal desire she grabbed my chest with her gloved hands. I responded in kind by thrusting harder and faster, and continued squeezing her breasts and started kissing her soft neck. She moaned excitedly as I pounded into her with my enormous cock. Seven more thrusts was all I needed, for as I hit the seventh, I could feel myself fire into her, while her wet cave overflowed with warm juices; they even trickled onto the mattress. She let out a final whispering moan as we almost collapsed from all the energy we spent. As her head lay against my left shoulder, she simply smiled and kissed my neck. I kissed her back on the lips.

"So, would you like to spend the night? With me?" she seductively asked while circling my nipple with her gloved finger.

"I'd love to, but I have to get home soon. No offense," I said.

"I understand. Perhaps we can do this again sometime?" she asked.

"I look forward to it," I said, and then I reluctantly slid my weakening cock out of her, still coated in her warm juices. I slowly put my clothes back on so she could appreciate my nude splendor.

"Good night, Lily," I said.

"Good night, my love," she said. Leaving the house, I decided to walk home since it was such a beautiful night, and because I was so happy. But as I neared my house, a suspicious smell caught my nose…burnt wood.

"Huh? Where could that have come from?" I asked. I ran to my house…and what I saw horrified me to the core. My house…was burned to the ground. All that was left was the charred foundation and splintered fractions of the walls. I slowly walked amongst the ruins, when what I saw next terrified me even more. They were…my parents' corpses, and that of my sister Diana! They too were burned by the fires that consumed our home! By the back porch was the body of my older brother Adrian, but his body was only slightly burned; other than that, no damage at all, despite the look of severe pain he had on his cold face. In my father's hand was one of the swords we had on display. Oddly enough, the body of my younger brother Samuel was nowhere to be found. I fell to my knees and cried.

"Mom… Dad… everyone… who did this to you?" I said, gripping the ground in extreme anger. I noticed a note nearby. It was written in some unknown language, but I remembered some of Lily's books on this subject, and remembering what I learned from them, I read it to be "You may have been lucky this time, Demetrios…but your soul shall be mine and this world will die in hellfire. Long live the Dark Emperor"

"Who left this?" I wondered, as there was no signature.

"Actually, it contains all the answers you need," said a soothing voice behind me. It was obviously female. I turned around, and saw the most astonishing woman I ever saw in my life - other than Lily, of course. She was definitely a woman, but at the same time she was definitely not of this world. She was dressed very much like the Valkyries of Nordic mythology, though emerging from her back were the wings of a peregrine falcon. Her armor was made of platinum, consisting of a breastplate and - oddly enough - a thin white skirt below the body armor. Despite the skirt, she still wore platinum greaves. Attached to her belt were two scabbards containing swords. Her long blonde hair cascaded down to the small of her back, and despite her militaristic appearance, she looked very friendly.

"…who…who are you?" I asked.

"Fear not; I am your guide, Shandara. As you can tell, I am an angel," she explained.

"Guide? What for?" I said, my tears starting to cease.

"As that note suggests, a great evil has come to this world, and this massacre is the first sign of it," she explained. At that, I stopped crying altogether and summoned my courage.

"Well, if I am the one to defeat this evil, then I will. But…what will I return to when I win?" I asked.

"You answered your own question, Demetrios. Is there anyone in this world you would give your life for?" Shandara asked. The answer came very quickly.

"Lily. I want to protect her," I said.

"That is good, for you two are the keys to victory," said Shandara.

"But…victory over what?" I asked again.

"Fear not, brave knight, for not all of your possessions were destroyed. Look over there," she said, pointing to where my room used to stand. I noticed something suspicious and went to investigate. They were…of all things…my Duel Monsters cards! And my Duel Disk! They weren't harmed even in the slightest!

"What? But how did these survive? And how will I need them to win?" I asked.

"They are but one key. Here is the other," she said, drawing from the second scabbard a magnificent sword. It was an enormous 5½ feet in length! It had a thin but strong blade that was adorned by ten pairs of serrated teeth in the middle. The hilt was shaped like the wings of a dragon. On top of the pommel was a small ruby, which was held in place by two onyx serpents, wrapping around the handle with their mouths open to hold the jewel where it was. Between the dragon's wings there was a red diamond on the hilt on each side.

"Use the Dragon Claw well, Demetrios, for it shall destroy evil in all its forms," said Shandara. Then she started to fly upward back to the celestial realm.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Don't tally about here, young knight. Another blow is about to be struck," she said, and disappeared. I stood there in awe.

"What other blow?" I asked, preparing my Duel Monsters paraphernalia and admiring my new weapon. Just then, I heard an equine grunt behind me. Once again, not all was lost. I looked behind me, and saw my black Mustang stallion, Moon Shadow.

"Moon Shadow!" I said, running up to him. I hugged him around the neck, and he laid his head across my shoulder.

"Are you all right? How did you survive?" I asked him. I knew he couldn't respond in English, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was glad to be alive. Then I remembered.

"There's no time for reminiscing. Shandara said another blow is going to be struck. We have to get going before its too late!" I said, hastily getting on his back. "Moon Shadow, run like the wind!" And he galloped at full speed. I had an uncanny feeling I knew where this next blow was going to be.

Meanwhile, Lily was sleeping deeply and euphorically, still wearing her gloves but reluctantly took off her boots before falling asleep. Unbeknownst to her, someone was outside her window, aiming a sniper rifle at her and ready to take her life with it.

"Once she falls, the Dark Lord shall claim this world as our own," he said in a sinister voice, ready to pull the trigger.

"Don't even think about it!" I said, and Moon Shadow jumped over the fence in time. As we landed, I caught the assassin off guard and cut his hand with my new sword. The murderer recoiled and the shot meant for Lily was fired into the air where it did no damage. Lily was awakened by the sudden noise and looked out the window, surprised to see me on my horse, especially this late at night.

"Demetrios, what are you doing here? What's going on?" she asked as she opened the window.

"He happened! And I'm quite sure he killed my family," I said angrily. She gasped at such dreadful news.

"You're joking, right?" she asked.

"I wish I was. But now he's going to pay," I said, dismounting and readying my weapon. The assassin recovered and…cast a spell that healed the wound I made! Not wanting to waste any more time, I charged toward him, ready to kill him.

"Not so fast!" said the man, and cast another spell: one that stopped me right in my tracks! Despite my great strength, I couldn't move past it!

"Now, now, there's no need for violence, mi muchacho. We shall settle this matter like men: with these," said the guy, producing his own Duel Monsters deck from his pocket, and a very eldritch Duel Disk. It was made of black metal, and the mechanism for the cards came out of it like a knife emerges from a switchblade. I activated my own and prepared for the worst.

"Let's duel!" we simultaneously said, and our Life Points activated at 8000.

"I'll go, and I'll start by summoning Guard Dog in Attack Mode," said the assassin, summoning the ferocious Rottweiler (1500/500). Oddly, he ended his turn. I looked at my hand, and saw that I had Cyber Shield, Polymerization, Crab Turtle (2550/2500), Takriminos (1500/1200), and Power of Kaishin. At least one of them was a Level 4 Monster.

"I summon Takriminos in Attack Mode, and now you can't hurt me," I said, giving him "the raspberry". "I also put two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Oh there'll be plenty of pain all right, especially when I play this…the Seal of Orichalcos!" he said, raising the aforementioned card into the air and shouting out its name. Lily and I had no idea what he was talking about.

"The Seal of what?" I asked.

"It's only one of the best cards in the game, and it shall be your doom!" he said, and inserted the card into the slot for Field Spell Cards. Suddenly, a bright green ring of energy appeared above us, and descended down to us while spinning. When it reached the ground the spinning stopped, and I could see that the outer ring contained arcane magic symbols. Suddenly, Aleister Crowley's famous unicursal hexagram appeared in the inner ring, and the entire layout glowed brightly. As it glowed, Lily was thrown out of it by unseen forces!

"Lily!" I said. I ran to her, but when I hit the perimeter of the ring, I was shocked and thrown back to my position!

"What is this thing?" I asked.

"You don't seem to understand. When the Seal of Orichalcos is in play, two duelists enter; only one leaves," the assassin explained. As he did, the same design as the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on his forehead, and his eyes turned red.

"Who or what are you?" I demanded.

"My name is Abaddon, and I was sent here to kill you and that little wench of yours. Oh, and by the way, when this card is in play, my monsters gain the power of darkness, as well as 500 extra Attack Points," he explained further. As if in response to his explanation, the Guard Dog got the Seal of Orichalcos on its forehead, as well its eyes turning red, and to top it all off its Attack Points became 2000!

"Guard Dog, kill Takriminos!" he ordered. The dog charged viciously and clamped its jaws down on my sea serpent's neck and broke it with a powerful bite! It dropped the broken corpse out of its mouth and my Life Points went down to 7500.

"Sheesh, talk about an unfair advantage," Lily said.

"Don't worry, Lily, I'm not out of the game yet," I said, and drew three more cards from my Deck. These were Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300), Melchid the Four-Face Beast (1500/1200) and Rose Specter of Dunn (2000/1800).

"I summon Cyber Harpie Lady in Attack Mode, and I'll equip her with Cyber Shield to give her 500 extra Attack Points of her own," I said. The beautiful bird woman appeared on the field and suddenly got a sexy metal breastplate, as well as an Attack Rating of 2300. She flew forward and eviscerated the Guard Dog. As the dog fell to the ground, Abaddon's Life Points went down to 7700.

"You call that an attack? Well it's nothing compared to what I've got in store now. I activate the Spell Card Polymerization, and from my hand I combine Spirit Ryu and Warrior Dai Grepher to create…Ryu Senshi!" Abaddon declared. The warrior and the dragon he just described melded together as soon as they appeared on the field, and combined into a knight wearing draconian armor (2000/1200), and not only did the Seal of Orichalcos appear on his forehead, but his eyes turned red and his Attack Points became 2500. Not wasting any time, the knight cut Cyber Harpie in half, making my Life Points 7300.

This is just great. I have some of the best cards in the game and this guy's turning his monsters into super-villains - and clobbering me with them! I thought. Hopefully this card will help… I thought some more, drawing another card from my deck. I got…Asura Priest (1700/1200). Hmm, maybe I could sacrifice him and Melchid to summon Masked Beast Death Guardius…but wait! Nuts! He would have to be in my hand first, and if I summoned Asura Priest to the field and he got destroyed, Spirit Monsters can't be Special Summoned, so Monster Reborn would be useless. Boy was this going to be hard.

"Guess I have no choice. I summon Melchid in Defense Mode and end my turn," I said.

"Hmm, a powerful duelist and a heroic knight cornered like a wild animal. I like it. That's why I summon Big Shield Gardna in Defense Mode, and I'll do to your Melchid what I did to your Cyber Harpie!" he said. A soldier bearing an enormous shield (100/2600) appeared on the field. His normally expressionless eyes turned red, as well as the Seal appearing on his forehead and his Attack Points becoming 600. Ryu Senshi expertly cut Melchid into four pieces, but at least he was in Defense Mode, but now I'd have to get Monster Reborn to bring him back and summon Death Guardius.

"Now I have a strong warrior _and_ a strong defense. Want to give up now?" said Abaddon.

"Not just yet," I said, drawing another card. This one was…Dust Tornado. Maybe this would help.

"Say goodbye to your creepy ring. I activate Dust Tornado! Now destroy the Seal of Orichalcos!" I said. A fierce tornado appeared and pounded onto the field. But when the winds died down a few seconds later…the Seal was still there!

"You've got to be kidding me!" I said.

"I'm not. The Seal of Orichalcos can't be destroyed by a fancy shmancy Trap Card," the assassin explained. "And now for the best part: Ryu Senshi, attack his Life Points directly!" His Monster cut me up with his huge sword, making my Life Points 4800.

"Hang in there, Demetrios! Don't give up!" Lily said to me.

"Shut up, you stupid cheerleader! You're just lucky I can't leave the Seal either, or I'd kick your ass," he said. Upon hearing this, my anger peaked.

"Destroying my monsters with an unknown Magic Card is one thing, but _no one ever threatens the woman I love_!" I shouted, and drew a card. I looked, and it was…Monster Reborn. One down, one to go.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn," I said, annoyed that I couldn't summon any monsters.

"You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you? Ryu Senshi, attack again!" he ordered, and as I felt the cold metal cut through me, my Life Points went down to 2300!

"Ready to give up?" he asked.

"Not just yet…" I said, getting onto my knees, and drawing from my Deck…the one card I needed…Masked Beast Death Guardius (3300/2500)! Yes! Now my luck was starting to turn.

"It's my turn to deal out the punishment, 'cause now I summon Asura Priest, and activate Monster Reborn to bring back Melchid the Four-Face Beast, and now I'll sacrifice them both to summon the most powerful demon in the game…Masked Beast Death Guardius!" I said. The four-armed priest appeared on the field, and Melchid appeared next to him, then both creatures disappeared and were replaced by the towering monstrosity.

"Now, Death Guardius, rip his Ryu Senshi to pieces!" I ordered. The demon charged forward and picked up the knight in his talons and then proceeded to tear him apart easily. As the pieces of his body fell to the ground, Abaddon's Life Points went down to 6900. It wasn't much, but at least it was further away from 8000.

"Good job, baby!" Lily said.

"Don't mention it. I knew I could do it," I said.

"Your smugness won't last much longer, fool. I now summon Soul Tiger in Defense Mode, and now it'll take you longer to get to my Life Points," he said. A magnificent tiger made entirely of spiritual energy (0/2100) appeared on the field, and its eyes glowed crimson, as well as the Seal of Orichalcos appearing on its forehead and its Attack Points becoming 500.

"I'm not done yet," I said, drawing a card: Pyramid of Light. Hey, this would work wonders!

"I have a powerful Spell Card of my own: Pyramid of Light! Well, actually, it's a Trap, but it's still cool all the same," I said, activating the card. A huge pyramid of bright energy surrounded us, and thankfully Lily wasn't thrown out.

"And what's this fancy shmancy light show going to do to me?" he asked.

"You'll see soon enough," I said, and had Masked Beast Death Guardius destroy Big Shield Gardna. Just one more and he would be down for the count.

"Well now I summon Marauding Captain in Attack Mode, and thanks to his special ability, I can summon a Level 4 or lower Monster, and I choose Shadow Tamer! Arise!" he said. Another knight (1200/400) appeared on the field, and next to him a beautiful woman with a whip (800/700). Both got red eyes and the Seal of Orichalcos on their foreheads, and their Attack Points respectively became 1700 and 1300. "Oh, and another thing: as long as Marauding Captain is on the field, you can't attack my Warrior-type Monsters," he said.

"I'll find a way around it," I said, drawing two more cards. These were…Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia? Wow! My luck was better than I thought.

"Let's see how good your fighters are against my magnificent beasts. I pay 1000 Life Points to summon both Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia!" I said, creating the lion-headed giant (3000/2500) and his maiden-headed winged lioness sister (2500/3000). "The only bad news is that I can't attack with them this turn, but that's okay because I still have Masked Beast Death Guardius. Make a rug out of his Soul Tiger!" I said. The demon tore up Soul Tiger, but still inflicted no damage to Abaddon's Life Points.

"Well my squad of fighters is about to become an army, for I play The Warrior Returning Alive, which can put a Warrior-type Monster in the Graveyard back in my hand, and now I'll bring back Warrior Dai Grepher. But I'm not done yet. By discarding three cards from my hand thanks to the Spell Card Bronze Knight, I can summon three Bronze Knights," he said. Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) returned to the field, and not only did he get the Seal of Orichalcos on his forehead and the red eyes, not to mention his Attack Points becoming 2200, but his normally expressionless face became one of anger. Next, three knights (500/0, and they got the Seal on the tops of their helmets and 500 more Attack Points, but their eyes didn't turn red as they were obscured by their helmets) appeared, but oddly, two appeared next to Warrior Dai Grepher and another appeared _behind_ Marauding Captain. This wasn't making any sense.

"Hey, what's the big idea? How can you have _six_ Monsters?" I asked.

"Another beauty part of the Seal of Orichalcos: with it, I can summon Monsters where I would normally put my Magic and Trap Cards, effectively allowing me to have up to _10_ Monsters. And that's not all: you can't destroy my Monsters in the back without first destroying the Monsters up front," he explained.

"I'll find a way. Masked Beast Death Guardius, get rid of the Marauding Captain!" I ordered. The demon simply broke the captain in half, making Abaddon's Life Points 5300. "But I'm not done yet. Andro Sphinx, kill Warrior Dai Grepher and Sphinx Teleia, destroy Shadow Tamer!" I said. Both beasts obeyed, and the death of Warrior Dai Grepher made Abaddon's Life Points 3300. Now I was doing well.

"I was angry at you before, Demetrios, but now I'm _really_ pissed off!" Abaddon said. I was shocked by this.

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"My Master sees all, little mortal. He knows about what you and your little girlfriend can do. That's why I've come here to kill you," he said.

"Not if I can help it," I said, and drew another card. This one was Gift of the Mystical Elf.

"Here's another damper on your plans, Abaddon. I activate Gift of the Mystical Elf, which will give me 300 Life Points for each of my Monsters on the field, and since I have three, that adds up to 900," I said. The Mystical Elf appeared and uttered a mysterious chant, and my Life Points became 2200.

"Let's see how good those Monsters of yours are when I switch my Knights to Defense Mode," he said, and all three took defensive stances.

"They're still easy pickings. Death Guardius, Andro Sphinx, and Sphinx Teleia, destroy his Knights!" I ordered. All three of my Monsters destroyed the Bronze Knights.

"Good thing they were in Defense Mode…huh?" Abaddon said, noticing that his Life Points went down to 2800. "What have you done?"

"I didn't cheat, if that's what you think. When Andro Sphinx destroys an enemy, half of that enemy's Attack Points are deducted from your Life Points, so long as his target's in Defense Mode," I explained.

"Sweet!" Lily said.

"Not for long! First I activate the Spell Card, Remove Trap, with which I shall get rid of the Pyramid of Light!" he said. When he activated the Magic Card, the Pyramid of Light shattered into millions of pieces, and Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia were both destroyed! Not only were they destroyed, but they were removed from play! "Next I play another Spell Card: Exile of the Wicked! This can destroy Fiend-type Monsters, which I believe your Masked Beast Death Guardius happens to be!" he said. With the activation of that card, Death Guardius instantly died, and I had no Monsters left. But I wasn't worried.

"So, you're cleverer than you look," I asked. "Too bad it won't last. Do you know what the secret weapon of the Pyramid of Light is?"

"Don't tell me…you have _him_!" said Abaddon.

"That's right; when both Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia have been destroyed, I can pay 500 Life Points to summon…Theinen the Great Sphinx!" I said. As my Life Points went down to 1700, the most ferocious creature of the bunch, a lion-headed man from the waist up and winged lion from the waist downward (3500/3000) appeared on the field.

"And do you know what his _other_ special ability is?" I asked.

"I don't want to know…" said Abaddon, starting to look scared.

"That's right: by paying 500 _more_ Life Points, I can increase his Attack Points by 3000 - enough to wipe you out!" I said. My Life Points descended to 1200, while Theinen's Attack Points went up to 6500!

"Theinen, attack his Life Points directly and end this duel!" Theinen charged toward Abaddon and thrashed the assassin around in his jaws. As he fell back to the ground, his Life Points went down to 0.

"Demetrios 1, pathetic bad guy nothin'," I said. Just then, something happened that astonished even me: the Seal of Orichalcos shrank around Abaddon, and a column of green light shot into a vortex in the sky.

"You haven't seen the last of us!" he said. Just then, his very soul was ripped from his body and ascended into the column.

In a dark temple, out there somewhere in the darkness, a man in dark robes was praying to a statue. But this was no ordinary statue. It was a statue of Satan himself, carved in black marble as an evil imitation of the Statue of Zeus. In the fallen angel's right hand was his trident, and in his left was a medieval glass bottle. The robed man was speaking prayers in an unknown language to the dark idol. Just then, he stopped speaking, as a soul flew into the room and into the bottle the idol was holding. The man chuckled to himself.

"So it begins again…Demetrios," he said, removing his hood and still angry about the fact that now only his left eye was capable of seeing, for his right one had been rendered blind and permanently closed by the slash of a sword.

"What was with that guy?" Lily asked me.

"Let's forget about him; he's just a soulless shell now," I said, glad to be rid of Abaddon.

"Ah, but he is one soldier in many of your enemy's army," said a familiar voice. But it was in my mind.

"Shandara?" I asked quietly.

"So, you have stuck to your goal and saved the life of the woman you love. But saving her once will not be enough to save your world," she said.

"There are _others_ like him?" I asked.

"Yes. He also has comrades who use the Seal of Orichalcos, but his superiors use something far worse: darkness itself," Shandara said.

"How do Lily and I play into this?" I asked.

"You, Demetrios, the brave knight, and Lily, the noble sorceress; you two have the power to save this world, but you will need allies to help you," she said.

"Such as?" I asked.

"Do you recall the names: Yugi Moto, Seto Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler?" she said.

"Yeah; they're the top duelists around here, aren't they?" I asked.

"They will help you in your quest. I leave the rest to you now. Good luck," she said, and disappeared once again.

"Lily, we need to find Yugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, and believe it or not, Seto Kaiba," I said as I mounted Moon Shadow.

"What? Where did that come from?" she asked.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but when I found my house burned down, I met this spiritual guide who said that we're being hunted by this cult that wants us dead, and that guy I just dueled was one of them," I said, hoping to sound as reasonable as possible. Lily smiled and extended her hand so I could help her up.

"After that duel, I'll believe anything. But finding those three guys, that may not be so easy," she said.

"But if we have to find them, if they can really help us.

"All right then, let the search begin," Lily said, as we rode off into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's the stuff I forgot to clear up in the beginning of the first chapter. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters or magical artifacts therein. I just own the original characters and cards. :)  
><em>

_Oh yeah, this is my first-ever fan-fic, so I hope you enjoy it. If you must criticize, try to keep it civil._

Chapter II

The Legendary Dragons

So, do you have any idea what the card that guy used is that made all his monsters stronger?" I asked.

"I don't know. In all my years of studying magic, I've never come across anything like it. However, the name 'Orichalcos' does sound familiar," Lily said.

"Well, I do know this: we have to find the one and only Yugi Moto," I said.

"We'll start first thing tomorrow morning. Try to sleep well, darling," she said.

"I will. Good night," I said, the two of us slowly drifting off to sleep.

Elsewhere in some part of the world, a dark gathering was taking place. The mysterious priest was again in his sacrificial chamber.

"My soldiers, the battle has begun. Our enemies - the knight and the sorceress - must fall," he said.

"We are yours to command, Lord Thatehos," said one of the ten cultists bowing before him, this one happening to be some kind of death knight. They lifted to their master.

"So, which one of them are _you_ going after?" the knight asked his partners in evil.

"Doesn't matter to me, as long as I kill something," said one of them, running his claw-like nails over a sharpening stone and speaking with a voice that was obviously not civilized.

"Let _me_ have a go at them, Master. Perhaps then my fame can be restored," said another one with an Indian accent.

"You keep off of Demetrios! He's mine, as is that wench of his, Lily! As soon as I find them, they're dead!" said a light Southern female voice, obviously with anger.

"Well I'm going to break that rich boy Kaiba in half; what right has he to control dragons?" said the knight.

"It matters not to me; they'll all be mine in the end," said a mysterious voice.

"Ah yes, there's still that little runt Yugi and his insignificant so-called friends to contend with. No matter; Satan shall have them all!" said another of the cultists. A flapping of wings could be heard outside the temple.

"Ah, my servant has returned," said Thatehos. A gargoyle flew into the room and perched onto one of the serpent-shaped outcroppings in the chamber. This creature looked like a gargoyle at first glance, but it had more reptilian qualities than the creatures decorating the Notre Dame cathedral. Its head was snakelike in shape and its body was long and spindly like a lizard's, but had a frame like a monkey. Its long arms ended in three-fingered claws and its tail resembled a whip.

"Enlighten us, Dijumia," said Thatehos.

"My Lord, the knight and the sorceress are now looking for the one called Yugi Moto," the creature said while hissing the whole time.

"Abaddon may have failed his mission, but perhaps another shall succeed," said Thatehos.

"I'll go. My dark magic will destroy anything," said one of the cultists.

"I'll go with you and keep our enemies at bay," said another in a dark Southern accent.

"That's not all. Inderfar, you're coming with me," said the knight.

"I know. It's time to draw Seto out," said the cultist he signaled.

"Good. Now, my soldiers, go forth and spread chaos!" said Thatehos, and the cultists carried off with their missions.

In another part of Domino City, as dawn was approaching, a young boy was having troubling nightmares. He saw vast armies of demons marching across the Earth, destroying all in their path. Hellish dragons reduced all to ashes, and the hellfire in their breath turned the sky red. Then, when all hope seemed lost…a strange but angelic song broke through. Unfortunately, it was in Latin, so the boy couldn't understand it.

"Valde Hostilis orator victum;

Everto pervasor vacuus misericordia.

Three proeliator es electus

Impero Valde Extraho.

Tamen they unus mos non sufficio;

Miles militis quod Veneficus vadum orior oriri ortus quod victum barathrum1." it sang. But when it finished, the song became unintelligible, as the vision swirled into chaos; all that was left was a bunch of black. But not all was gone; there were three ancient statues of dragons; one of emerald, one of onyx, and one of ruby. The voice spoke again.

"Yugi Moto, vos erant electus impero Lumen of Timaeus. Utor suus vox puteus huic bellum, pro vestri imperator has postulo vestrum iterum2," it said. Suddenly, the emerald coating broke open, and the dragon contained therein burst forth. He looked at the creature in awe…and suddenly woke up in the safety of his own house. He peered around his room to make sure he was still in this dimension. But this was no mere boy. His spiky blonde/red hair and large violet eyes revealed that he was none other than Yugi Moto himself. As he was confirming that his dream ended, a familiar voice came to him.

"I guess you saw it, too?" asked Yugi's spiritual alter ego and friend, known simply as "the Pharaoh". For while he was indeed a Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, he unfortunately lost most of his memories, but thankfully his spirit entered the safety of Yugi's most prized possession, an amulet called the Millennium Puzzle, before the Pharaoh was completely destroyed.

"Yeah. What do you think that was?" Yugi asked.

"I'm not sure; I don't understand Latin," the Pharaoh admitted.

"Maybe Téa will know what to make of this," said Yugi, picking up the phone next to his bed and dialing the aforementioned number.

Upon hearing the phone ring, Téa stirred slowly in her sleep. Still half-asleep, she reached over and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" she asked groggily.

"Hey, Téa, it's Yugi," he said. At hearing the name, she woke up almost immediately.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked happily, sitting up in bed.

"I had the weirdest dream and I have no idea how to explain it," he said.

"Does sound weird. Would you like to hang out later?" she asked.

"Yeah, I definitely don't want to sleep anymore," he said.

"Good; I'll meet you at the park later. Bye for now," she said, and both hung up.

In the very heart of Domino City, Seto Kaiba's day already began. He was already at his desk, typing away at his computer. But as focused as he usually was, his thoughts strayed now and then.

"What kind of dream was that?" he wondered. Whether by coincidence or fate, Seto had a dream _similar_ to Yugi's, although in Seto's version the onyx dragon broke free. "I don't know what it is: either I've got to stop listening to Yugi's fantasy speeches or _he_ needs to." he thought. Little did he know how close to the supernatural stuff that he so was he going to be in a few more hours.

Meanwhile, Lily and I arrived in Domino.

"Well, we're here now," I said.

"Now we have to find Yugi," said Lily.

"How can you miss him? I'd say we look in the most crowded places first," I said, as we dismounted Moon Shadow.

Speaking of Yugi, he was in the park, walking with Téa, who looked as lovely as ever.

"So, tell me about this dream you had," she inquired.

"Well, I saw this war, for lack of a better word, and I heard this weird voice speaking Latin, and it ended with this enormous green dragon," he said.

"That is bizarre. What do you think it could mean?" she asked.

"I've no idea. Do you think I've been chosen for some battle or something?" Yugi wondered.

"Personally, I hope not. I've had enough supernatural stuff for one lifetime," Téa admitted.

"Yeah, me too…" he began, when suddenly, he sensed a supernatural presence nearby - a dark one, at that.

"I spoke too soon, didn't I?" Téa asked.

"You could say that again: it's some kind of sorcerer," Yugi said.

"I don't like the sound of that," she said.

"I'll check it out; it could have something to do with that dream of mine," he said.

"Yugi, it could be dangerous. You know how the _last_ guys were," she said, referring to the dark magic that Maximillion Pegasus and Marik Ishtar both yielded, thanks to the Millennium Items, of which Yugi's Puzzle was a part.

"If I _don't_ find out, I won't solve the mystery," he explained, running toward where he sensed the presence.

"Oh, I hate it when he uses that excuse," she whispered, running after him.

Lily and I were walking through the streets, keeping an eye out for Yugi and company. When we reached a secluded alley, some kind of shadow swept over us!

"What was that?" I demanded.

"I think we're about to find out," Lily said, noticing the mysterious figure in front of us. It appeared to be an old man with a long beard. His skin was an odd shade of green and grey, as if he were a corpse. He was clad in a sorcerer's robe, and adorning his head was a dragon's skull. His staff was the gnarled branch of a dead tree.

"Ah, I've found both the Knight _and_ the Sorceress. I must say I've had better luck than usual in my orders," he said.

"Are you with that guy who tried to whack Lily?" I demanded.

"You mean Abaddon? Yes, I knew him. He must have been pretty weak to fail at such a simple mission, and we all thought he was an accomplished assassin," he said. "Oh, where are my manners? I am called Graveshade, and I am a necromancer."

"Graveshade? I know that name from somewhere…wait, I remember now! You're that guy who tried to take over the world with an army of the dead!" Lily said. "But…aren't you supposed to be dead? That took place over a thousand years ago."

"Yes, I am supposed to be dead, but I've never felt better, thanks to the magic of the Orichalcos. But enough small talk. I was assigned to kill one of you, and I shall do just that, and I think I'll start with you, witch," Graveshade said.

"Not if I can help it," Lily said, activating her own Duel Disk. Graveshade activated his, and it looked just like Abaddon's! So they _were_ working for the same guy!

"Duel!" both opponents said, and their 8000 Life Points triggered.

"I'll start by activating the Spell Card, Cold Wave!" As if to punctuate the card's name, ice began to form in the area where the Spell and Trap cards formed. "Now neither of us can activate any Spell or Trap Cards until next turn - that is, if you can make it to next turn, since I'll end by summoning Master Kyonshee in Attack Mode." An undead man in ninja-style clothes (1750/1000) appeared in front of Graveshade.

"We'll see about that," said Lily, and looked at her hand. It contained De-Fusion, Pitch-Dark Dragon (900/600), Reaper Scythe, Zera Ritual, and Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600). Great! None of them are strong enough to take out _his_ monster!

"I'll put Pitch-Dark Dragon in Defense Mode and end my turn," Lily said.

"Don't worry about it, you'll beat this guy easily," I assured her.

"That's what _you_ think, because it is my turn once again, and since Cold Wave's effect has expired - like you both will - I can now activate…the Seal of Orichalcos!" Graveshade said, and he raised the mysterious Spell Card in the air to activate its effect!

"You've got to be kidding!" Lily said.

"Where did you get that thing? Who are you working for?" I asked, demanding to know the origin of this magic.

"Don't bother with questions, fool, for you'll be dead anyway," Graveshade said, and the Orichalcos Ring descended onto the field and formed the six-pointed star. Just as with Abaddon, the star appeared on Graveshade's forehead, as well as on that of Master Kyonshee, who also got red eyes and his Attack Points went up to 2250.

"And that's not all. I'll also summon Dark Assailant (1200/1200), and he'll also absorb the power of the Orichalcos," said the necromancer. The Dark Assailant's empty eye sockets glowed red and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on its forehead as well, raising its Attack Points to 1700.

"First, I'll have Master Kyonshee destroy your little dragon," he said. The zombie ripped up Lily's monster with his bare hands, but thankfully her Life Points weren't hurt.

"And then, Dark Assailant will attack you directly!" he continued, and the undead pirate cut through her Life Points, reducing them to 6300.

"And last but not least, I'll activate Polymerization, to combine my monsters into one undead killing machine…the Great Mammoth of Goldfine!" Graveshade said, activating said Spell Card. The two creatures combined and turned into a living mammoth skeleton whose bones appeared to be made of solid gold (2200/1800). The Orichalcos symbol appeared on its head as well, making its Attack Points 2700!

"Now, my Great Mammoth, attack her Life Points directly!" said Graveshade. The Mammoth tore through her Life Points again, making them 3600!

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you!" I warned him.

"Big talk from someone who's _outside_ the Orichalcos Ring. This is between me and her, fool. But rest assured, you'll be next," he said. Both Lily and I looked him down.

Meanwhile, as Yugi and Téa were running toward the mysterious entity he sensed earlier, Yugi suddenly stopped.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" Téa asked.

"I don't believe it; that guy's dark power suddenly skyrocketed!" he said. I recognized the voice nearby, and turned and saw…Yugi Moto!

"Yugi, is that you?" I asked, unable to believe my eyes. Lily saw him as well.

"And who might you be?" he asked.

"I believe now is not the time for introductions; there's a bigger problem right now," I said, pointing to the necromancer.

"What's all that green energy?" Téa asked.

"I don't know, but it's not very friendly, I'll tell you that much," I said.

"So, you have more people to witness your demise. How very touching," Graveshade said.

"Not if I can help it," Lily said, and drew a card from her deck. It was…Swords of Revealing Light! She gave a sigh of relief.

"Your mammoth's not going to be hurting me for a while, because I'll activate Swords of Revealing Light," she said, triggering the aforementioned card. Swords of light appeared on Graveshade's side of the field, rendering his Great Mammoth paralyzed for the next three turns. "I'll also put a facedown card while I'm at it."

"You're only delaying the inevitable, my friend," said the necromancer. "I'll just put a monster facedown and end my turn."

"Let's see what the future holds for me," Lily said, and drew two more cards. She selected Graceful Charity and Marie the Fallen One (1700/1200). An idea immediately flashed into her mind.

"I summon Y-Dragon Head in Attack Mode, and now I'll play Graceful Charity," she said. "Now by getting rid of two cards from my hand, I can draw three more from my Deck." By getting rid of Reaper Scythe and Marie the Fallen One, she got three more cards: Dark Witch (1800/1700), X-Head Cannon (1800/1500), and Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300). Yes! Now she could create one of her most powerful monsters! Not only that, but now that Marie was in the Graveyard, her Life Points went up to 3800.

"I'll summon X-Head Cannon thanks to that effect, and I'll have him destroy that facedown of yours," she said. The machine's long cannons locked on to the concealed creature, but when she fired it, it turned out to be Castle of Dark Illusions (920/1930, and because of the Seal of Orichalcos, the anti-gravity ring surrounded got the Orichalcos symbol on its center and its Attack Points became 1420)!

"Ha! You just activated my effect! When Castle of Dark Illusions is flipped face-up, all my Zombie-Type monsters get 200 more Attack Points for the next four turns," Graveshade explained. As if to punctuate his statement, the Great Mammoth's Attack Points became 2900.

"Not only that, but because of its higher Defense Points, your Life Points go down again," he explained further, and Lily's Life Points did indeed become 3670.

"Well, it's my turn once again, so now I'll activate the Trap Card Pyro Clock of Destiny, which will put an abrupt end to your little light show," he said. With that, the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared, and now Graveshade was free to attack with the Great Mammoth of Goldfine again. It charged forward, ready to skewer one of Lily's monsters on its golden tusks.

"Not so fast! I activate De-Fusion!" she said, undoing the creation of the Great Mammoth. Suddenly, it turned back into Master Kyonshee and the Dark Assailant.

"Now that he's out of the way, I summon Z-Metal Tank, and now for the fun part. By removing my three monsters from play, I can summon the most powerful tank that money can buy…the XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" Suddenly, two energy cannons emerged from the tops of Z-Metal Tank's treads. The Y-Dragon Head landed on top of the tank and locked into place while another gun emerged from its opening mouth. Finally, X-Head Cannon locked into place on top of the combination, and became the XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600).

"Okay, now blow away his Dark Assailant," Lily ordered. All the guns on the machine locked onto the skeletal soldier, and fired incredibly powerful beams of energy! The Assailant was reduced to ashes, and Graveshade's Life Points became 6900. Not only that, but Lily's Life Points went up to 3870.

"Now I'm back on top," she said confidently.

"Now you're talking!" I said proudly.

"You may have won the battle, witch, but I'll win the war," said Graveshade, as he drew another card from his deck. He smiled confidently as he saw what he drew.

"I'll summon Spirit Reaper in Attack Mode," he said, as a Grim Reaper lookalike (300/200) appeared on the field and gained the power of the Orichalcos, with the red eyes, the mark on its forehead, and its Attack Points becoming 800. "And I'll activate another Polymerization to combine him with Nightmare Horse from my hand to create Reaper on the Nightmare!" Suddenly, the Spirit Reaper was riding a ghostly horse (800/600). "And that's where the nightmare begins; not only is he empowered by the Orichalcos, he also gains 200 more Attack Points from the Castle of Dark Illusions!" he explained further. Sure enough, the Reaper's empty eye sockets glowed red and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on its bony forehead. First its Attack Points went up to 1300, then up to 1500. "And now for the beauty part: even with that XYZ-Dragon Cannon of yours, he can attack your Life Points directly. Reaper, cut her in half!" he said. The monster galloped toward Lily and cut through her with his scythe, reducing her Life Points to 2370. "And he's not done yet: when he does attack, a random card in your hand goes to the Graveyard, and I'll choose the one on the right!" With an annoyed grunt, Lily sent Warrior Lady of the Wasteland (1000/1100) into the Graveyard.

"Don't give up!" Yugi said.

"We're right behind you!" Téa added.

"Thanks for the support, guys, but those are _my_ lines," I joked.

"So, do you want to give us the rundown on what's happening here?" Téa asked.

"Okay, my name's Demetrios and the sexy lady in there is my girlfriend, Lily. Last night, my family was killed and one of those responsible for the crime tried to kill her, too. I dueled the assassin, and he used that same card the necromancer's using right now. So Lily and I came looking for you because I was told that you could help us find this cult," I explained.

"I don't know about any cult, but I'll help you get to the bottom of this," Yugi said.

"We can find something out _after_ Lily survives this duel," I said.

"You mean _if_ Lily survives this duel," Graveshade said.

"You forget, I still have Marie in my Graveyard, so my Life Points heal again, and now my Dragon Cannon will blow away your reaper," Lily said. As her Life Points went up to 2570, the XYZ-Dragon Cannon fired at the Reaper…but when the smoke cleared…he was still standing!

"You've got to be kidding me! My cannon's Attack Points are 2800!" Lily said in disbelief.

"Another advantage of the Reaper on the Nightmare: he's not destroyed as a result of battle, though the drawback is I still take damage from your attack," he said as his Life Points went down to 5600. "But there is good news: my Reaper gets 200 more Attack Points from the Castle of Dark Illusions." The Reaper's Attack Points went up to 1700. Hoping for a good card, Lily drew one, and got Pot of Greed.

"All right, Pot of Greed! Thanks to that, I can draw two more cards from my Deck," she said while activating the valuable effect. The extra cards she drew were V-Tiger Jet (1600/1800) and Reduction Barrier. She was just one card away from making her XYZ-Dragon Cannon even more powerful.

"Okay, if your Reaper of the Nightmare can't be destroyed by battle, then it's time for plan B. I'll discard one of my cards to the Graveyard and destroy him with XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special ability," Lily explained. She sent her Reduction Barrier to the Graveyard, and XYZ-Dragon Cannon charged forward at full speed, running over the Reaper of the Nightmare. "And I'm not done yet. Now my Dragon Cannon will demolish your Castle of Dark Illusions," As she said that, the tank fired all of its guns at the Castle, reducing it to rubble. "And last but not least, I summon V-Tiger Jet in Attack Mode, with which it'll attack your Life Points directly." The jet fired a barrage of missiles at Graveshade, cutting his Life Points down to 4000.

"Oh wait, I'm not done yet. Thanks to Marie, I gain Life Points again," she said as her Life Points became 2770. With frustration, Graveshade drew another card from his Deck, and smiled at what he saw.

"Your fallen angel's not going to be doing any healing anymore, after I read the Book of Life!" he said, showing her the card.

"Book of Life? What does that do?" I asked.

"Not a good effect. Now he can resurrect a Zombie-Type monster from his Graveyard and remove one of Lily's monsters in the Graveyard from play," Yugi said.

"And that's just what I'm going to do. First I'll bring back Reaper on the Nightmare for Round 2, and then I'll get rid of that Marie," Graveshade said. Irritated that she lost the advantage, Lily put Marie into the out-of-play area. Then Reaper of the Nightmare reappeared, though this time with only 1300 Attack Points.

"Now he'll attack your Life Points directly once again, and you know what happens after that!" he said, and the Reaper did so. Lily's Life Points went down to 1470.

"Oh no! More attacks like that and she'll lose the duel!" Téa said fearfully.

"And I've seen what happens when a person loses inside the Seal of Orichalcos," I said, not wanting the same fate to befall my ladylove.

"What happens then?" Yugi asked.

"When I defeated the assassin, I think his soul was stripped from his body," I said. Yugi and Téa gasped at such a revelation.

"Can a Duel Monsters card really do that?" Téa asked.

"This is no ordinary Spell Card he played. This is purely evil magic," I explained.

"Don't worry, my love; I _won't_ suffer the same fate," Lily said. She drew a card from her Deck, and smiled at what it was.

"I summon W-Wing Catapult in Attack Mode, and now I'll combine it with my V-Tiger Jet to create the VW-Tiger Catapult," she said. The two machines joined together to become the ultimate fighter jet (2000/2100). "And now I'll attack your Reaper with both of my monsters!" First the VW-Tiger Catapult bombarded the monster with multiple salvos of missiles, and then the XYZ-Dragon Cannon fired its energy cannons. Both attacks combined made Graveshade's Life Points 500.

"Looks like I'm back on top," Lily said.

"And it looks like you'll beat him yet," I said.

"You _haven't_ beaten me yet, worm! I sacrifice my Reaper on the Nightmare," Graveshade said.

"For what?" Lily asked nervously.

"My greatest Zombie. I now summon the mighty Despair from the Dark!" he declared. A satanic creature with an ethereal body but very corporeal devil's hands (2800/3000) appeared on Graveshade's side of the field. Even though it didn't have a forehead per se, the Orichalcos symbol appeared on its head anyway, and its eyes turned red. Then its Attack Points became 3300!

"Now, show that bitch the very meaning of despair by destroying her VW-Tiger Catapult!" he ordered. The creature's demonic hands extended from its shadowy body and ripped the VW-Tiger Catapult apart. Lily's Life Points went down to 170!

"No, Lily! You can't lose! I've already lost my entire family! I don't want to lose you, too!" I said, almost on the verge of tears.

"He's right, Lily. You can beat him. You just have to believe in the Heart of the Cards," Yugi said to her.

He's right. I can't give up just yet. We have to find out more about this cult and how to stop it, Lily thought, and drew a card from her deck, hoping against hope that it would be a helpful. She saw that she drew…Monster Reborn!

"All right!" Lily said, grateful that her hope worked. "I activate Monster Reborn, and bring back the VW-Tiger Catapult you just sent to the junkyard. But it won't be around for long, because I'll remove both it and the XYZ-Dragon Cannon to create the most powerful machine I have…the V-Z-Dragon Catapult Cannon!" she said. Both machines started to combine. The VW-Tiger Catapult connected to the XYZ-Dragon Cannon, and the W-Wing Catapult's wings turned into mechanized legs. The Z-Metal Tanks legs/treads turned into arms as the whole machine started to take on an anthropoid outline. The Y-Dragon Head's wings emerged from the back of the machine, giving it a more impressive look. The head of the V-Tiger Jet turned became the head of the machine, and it turned into the powerful VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon (3000/2800).

"So what? My Despair from the Dark can still kill it," said Graveshade, apparently not as impressed as the rest of us were.

"That's where you're wrong. Once per turn, I can remove a card on your side of the field from play automatically," Lily said smugly. Graveshade gasped with disbelief.

"No, you can't!" he said.

"Watch and learn," Lily advised. Each and every weapon on the VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon locked onto the Despair from the Dark and fired; not to destroy it (because it wasn't attacking), but to remove it from play.

"I'll kill you for this, you bitch!" Graveshade warned.

"That's what you think. V-Z-Dragon Catapult Cannon, attack his Life Points directly and end this duel!" Lily ordered. The many guns on the machine aimed at the necromancer and fired at full power, reducing his Life Points to 0!

"All right!" Téa said triumphantly.

"I knew you could do it!" I said.

"Wait; look what's happening now," Yugi pointed out. Just as with Abaddon, the Seal of Orichalcos shrank around Graveshade, and launched a stream of light into the sky into a waiting portal.

"I'll destroy you for this!" the necromancer said, right before his soul was removed from his body, rendering it comatose.

"See what I mean?" I said.

Back at the mysterious temple, Thatehos sensed something.

"What? You must be jesting!" he said in surprise. A soul flew into the chamber and into the bottle that the statue of Satan held in his left hand.

"My Lord, it would seem that this knight and sorceress are stronger than we anticipated," Dijumia said in surprise.

"You dare to underestimate my forces?" the old priest said in utter offense.

"My apologies, my Lord. But they've already defeated two of our masters of the Seal of Orichalcos," the gargoyle said.

"Yes, but they've yet to see something more powerful…the Seal of Satan," he said.

It was currently 1:14 in the afternoon, and now Seto Kaiba was starting to get concerned.

This doesn't make sense. Mokuba may sleep in now and then, but never past noon. I'd better check up on him, he thought. When he came to his room, he saw that the door was slightly ajar. Upon entering, he saw that his little brother was not in his bed.

Where could he be? he thought with irritation, checking every part of the room. Sure enough, Mokuba was not in any of them. With all speed, he ran back to his office and pressed the button on the intercom.

"Roland, get security and check every part of the building! Mokuba's gone missing!" he ordered.

"Yes, sir!" said Seto's most trusted suit, Roland. Seto wasn't normally the type to jump to conclusions, but whenever Mokuba was endangered, he would rush in head-on, keeping the promise he made when they lived at the orphanage. He checked the room a second time just to make sure, and found something he didn't notice before: a video cassette on one of the chairs.

Whoever is behind this is terribly outdated; haven't they ever heard of DVDs? he thought. He looked in his own room for his old VCR. Dusting it off, he connected it to his TV and watched it. On it was a man with long white hair in what appeared to be the suit of armor of a medieval knight. The mysterious man looked at the camera grimly.

"Hello, Kaiba. I am Sir Aiakelotho. If you're watching this movie, well, then the slowest horse has crossed the finish line; we have your brother!" said the man in a terrifying voice (but not to Seto, it wouldn't be). Then, the camera pointed to Mokuba, who was struggling to escape the strong grasp of a seedy-looking Indian man. Upon seeing this, Seto was immediately infuriated.

"You release my brother right now, you cock-suckers!" he shouted to the TV.

"If you want to see your brother alive, I suggest you come to the most isolated part of Domino City. And bring your dueling equipment; believe me, you'll need it," Aiakelotho continued with a sadistic and sinister chuckle. Then the video ended and turned to static. Immediately, Seto gathered up his Duel Disk and his deck, famous for containing the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and headed for the hangar that contained his distinctive Blue-Eyes Jet.

"Mr. Kaiba, where are you going?" asked one of the security guards in the hangar.

"To kind Mokuba, and crush the person responsible for this insult," said Kaiba. He leaped into the jet and took off swiftly.

Whoever messes with my brother messes with me - and will live to regret it for the rest of his miserable life, he thought.

Back at Domino City, Lily and I explained our situation to Yugi's other friends, Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor.

"So this wacko's out to get you with an army of cultists using a weird Spell Card?" asked Joey.

"Are you sure you didn't dream this?" Tristan asked skeptically.

"Of course not; Lily, Yugi and Téa all saw it, too," I explained.

"So what else do you know about this cult?" Joey asked.

"The assassin that tried to kill Lily also said that his leader has something of a vendetta against us," I said.

"That's why we were hoping that Yugi would provide us with some answers," Lily added.

"I'm sorry; I don't know anymore about the cult than you do, but I did have that weird dream last night," Yugi said.

"Dream? What kind of dream?" I asked.

"Well, I saw this army of demons invading the Earth, and then these three statues of dragons, and I inadvertently woke up one of them, and if I can remember correctly, its name is 'Eye of Timaeus'," he explained. Joey was shocked at this.

"You're kidding, Yug! I had the exact same dream!" Joey said.

"Are you sure _you're_ not the one who's kidding? Sounds like someone's been reading a _little_ too much science fiction lately," Tristan taunted.

"Tristan, given the circumstances, I think it's safe to assume he's right," Téa said.

"That's when it gets weirder; in my dream the dragon's name was 'Claw of Helmos', and when I woke up that morning, I saw this card in my Deck I never saw before," Joey explained further.

"Can we see it?" I asked. Joey fished around in his pocket for the card he described, and pulled it out. It was a Spell Card, and in the portrait was an especially ferocious-looking red dragon with a nasal horn like a rhinoceros and spikes protruding through the back of its skull. Its red scales were like armor and its tail was quite muscular.

"Very impressive, but how does it play into all of this?" Lily asked.

"Yug, did you have anything like Timaeus in your deck?" Joey asked.

"Now that I think about it, no I didn't look," he admitted.

"Then we'd better check and find out," I said. Lily and I mounted Moon Shadow, and we headed to Yugi's house to solve more of this mystery. But now another question arose in my mind. If Yugi had this "Eye of Timaeus" and Joey the "Claw of Helmos", then what was the name of the third dragon they described, and on top of that, who had it? It could be a terrible weapon in the wrong hands.

But speaking of terror, we saw something of the sort when we got to Yugi's grandfather's game shop. The place was broken into!

"Oh no!" said Yugi, running inside to investigate. The rest of us followed en suite. The shop was trashed completely. The display cases were smashed, and the floor was strewn with broken glass and game equipment. Yugi's grandfather, Solomon, was laying on the ground, trying to catch his breath. He was beaten up pretty badly. His nose was bleeding and one of his eyes was starting to swell and turn black.

"Grandpa, what happened?" Yugi asked desperately.

"A group of thugs…broke in here…and trashed the place…" he said, coughing between words.

"Calm down, try to breathe. What did they look like?" I asked.

"One of them…looked like a medieval knight…and another…looked like he hasn't lived in civilization for decades…" he described.

"Don't worry, we'll find them, and make them pay for this," Yugi said.

"Mr. Moto, the ambulance is on its way right now; we'll have you out of here in no time," Téa assured him. Just then, Solomon had another flashback of the attack.

"…no…they took…" he began.

"What did they take?" Yugi asked.

"The man in the medieval outfit…he stole the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he said. While Seto Kaiba had three of the legendary creature, there were only four in the whole world, and Solomon had the fourth one.

"Hey, Yug, I found a note!" said Joey.

"What does it say?" Lily asked.

"It says, 'If you wish to see your precious card again, meet me in the park at sundown. If not, we shall finish the job we started on your grandfather'," he read aloud.

"Are we going to? It sounds dangerous," Tristan said.

"We have no choice; if we don't, they'll kill Yugi's grandfather, and we have to find out more about this cult," I said.

"Okay, I'll accept their challenge," Yugi said.

"Don't worry, Mr. Moto, the ambulance will be here shortly. Just stay put until it arrives, okay?" Téa said.

"All right…just be careful, Yugi…" he said, and then went unconscious.

"No! We can't lose him!" Yugi said.

"Okay then, one of us will stay and keep an eye on him until the doctors arrive," I suggested.

"I'll stay. I'll keep off the attackers if they show up again," Lily said.

"Are you sure? I don't want to lose you," I said.

"Demetrios, you worry too much. I'll be fine," she said, giving me a light but affectionate hug.

"Okay," I said, giving her a kiss. "Yugi, grab your dueling stuff and let's go," I said.

"All right," he said, and did so. We went to the park to find out more about this cult.

1 "The Great Enemy's champion conquers; Demons invade without mercy. Three warriors are chosen/To command the Great Dragons. But they alone will not be enough; the Knight and the Sorceress shall rise and conquer the underworld"

2 "Yugi Moto, you were chosen to command the Eye of Timaeus. Use his power well in this war, for your general has need of you again"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

Dark Revelations

The Sun was beginning to set as Seto neared the location Aiakelotho described to him. He looked on grimly as he was determined to find the location of his kidnapped brother.

Speaking of whom, Mokuba was being chained to wall in the lower chambers of the temple, converted into a prison by the dark priest, Thatehos.

"It's no use struggling, little one. The more you resist, the more painful your imprisonment will be," the priest warned. Mokuba spat at him defiantly.

"You don't scare me, old man! People have been after my brother's company since day one - and they all failed miserably! You're nothing special," he said. Thatehos just nonchalantly wiped the spit off his face.

"You're quite brave for a little boy. But we're different from those _other_ competitors you mentioned. We're not after your brother's company, oh no…" he said sinisterly.

"Then what _do_ you want?" Mokuba asked. Thatehos laughed harder and more evilly.

"We want your brother's _life_," he said. Mokuba gasped at this.

"Go to hell, grandpa!" he shouted, but Inderfar whacked him across the shoulders, silencing him immediately.

"That's where your brother will be headed when my knight's through with him. The trap is set, and now the lion will foolishly stumble into it. Come, my brethren. We have some planning to do," Thatehos said, and they left Seto's brother in the dungeon. Since his arms were bound by the chains, he did his best to shrug off the pain.

Seto, come quickly… he thought.

Back in the Domino City Park, Yugi was prepared to duel the person who assaulted his grandfather. A figure approached our group.

"So, you have arrived. Are you in that much of a hurry to die, Moto?" he asked in a very harsh and unkempt voice. I also noticed that he himself was very ragged and had only a pair of tattered pants. Suddenly, the pyramid-shaped amulet Yugi had around his neck glowed with a golden light, and Yugi suddenly turned into the Pharaoh.

"Who are you working for, assassin?" he asked.

"Quick to the chase, are we, Pharaoh? You'll have your answers in due time. Now, let us begin our duel," he said, and activated his Duel Disk - which looked like the ones Abaddon and Graveshade had! Yugi activated his own and both players got 8000 Life Points.

"It's time to duel!" Yugi said. He examined his hand, and saw that he drew Obnoxious Celtic Guard (1400/1200), Life Shaver, Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300/2100), Graceful Charity, and Cyber Jar (900/900).

"I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard in Attack Mode. I'll lay a card facedown and end my turn," Yugi said.

"Nice move. I'll start with something basic; namely, the Basic Insect in Attack Mode," he said, as a large mantis (500/700) appeared on the field. Why would he play such a weak monster? Unless he has something up his sleeve… Yugi thought. "But I'm not done yet, because I'm going to play the _ultimate_ Spell Card…the Seal of Satan!" He raised the aforementioned card into the air. It was a Spell Card, but instead of the usual green, its background was as red as blood. The kanji in the upper-right corner of the card translated to "Black Magic". The portrait was of entirely of darkness, except for a blood red pentagram. Suddenly, a dire wolf made entirely of unholy red energy appeared in front of the duelist!

"What's the meaning of this?" Yugi asked.

"You'll see," said the opponent. The wolf ran to the center of the field and suddenly melted into the ground. It turned into the giant red pentagram depicted in the card, and then curved lines extended from the five points of the star, encircling it completely. The pentagram gave off a burst of evil energy.

"Demetrios, is that the same as that 'Seal of Orichalcos' thing your girlfriend was caught in?" Téa asked.

"No; this is far worse. I'm sensing some kind of pure evil coming from it," I said.

"I don't think I'm going to like this," Joey said.

"What is this thing?" Yugi began, but then saw something too terrible for mortal eyes. His opponent was transforming! The man suddenly became very muscular, his nails turned into claws, and fur grew on his body from the waist downwards! His bare feet became cloven hooves, like those of a goat but larger! Then, his face grew outward and turned into that of a goat! Wavy horns sprouted from the back of his skull, his ears grew outward, and a goatee grew from his elongated chin. When he opened his eyes, they had the square pupils of a goat…and were blood red!

"Who or what are you?" Yugi asked.

"I am Valkorcan, and welcome to hell, Pharaoh!" he said. "But I'm not done yet; my monster also transforms, and gains 1000 extra Attack and Defense Points!" In response to his explanation, Basic Insect's green carapace turned a darker shade, and its claws became longer and more menacing. Spikes emerged from the four legs it used for walking, and its mouth parts became vicious cutters! It looked at Yugi's monster with utter malignity despite its lack of ocular expression. Then its stats became 1500/1700!

"Now that that part's settled, allow me to introduce the Dark Mantis!" he said. "Slice and dice his Obnoxious Celtic Guard!" Valkorcan shouted. The demon flew to the warrior and cut through his armor and flesh as if it were no thicker than paper! The worst part was that since Dark Mantis's Attack Points were lower than 1900, Obnoxious Celtic Guard wouldn't survive! He was easily killed, and Yugi's Life Points went down to 7900.

"Geez, talk about an unfair advantage!" Tristan said.

"Is there really a card that can turn monsters into demons?" Téa asked.

"I hope not; that transformation was disgusting to watch," I said.

"Don't worry, Demetrios; Yugi always manages to pull through crap like this," Joey assured me.

"Yeah, but this is demonic magic. Who knows what its capable of?" Téa said.

"I put a card facedown in Defense Mode, and now I activate the Trap Card Life Shaver! Now you must get rid of all but one card in your hand," said Yugi. Grunting, Valkorcan sent most of his cards to the Graveyard.

"It doesn't matter, though, because now I'll just get rid of your facedown card!" said the goat demon, and the mantis once again sliced through…the Cyber Jar (900/900)! In that instant, the Dark Mantis suddenly died and the Jar fell into two pieces.

"What have you done?" Valkorcan said.

"Destroyed your monster so I can pave the way for some of mine," he said. Both of them picked up five of the cards on top of their Decks and saw what they got. Yugi got Koumori Dragon (1500/1200), Queen's Knight (1500/1600), Archfiend of Gilfer (2200/2500), King's Knight (1600/1400), and Zero Gravity. Valkorcan received Silver Fang (1200/800), Kamakiriman (1150/1400), Beast Fangs, Multiple Destruction, and Alligator's Sword (1500/1200).

"Now I'll summon, Koumori Dragon, Queen's Knight, and King's Knight. And since I have both of them on the field, I can now summon Jack's Knight as well. Then I'll sacrifice Koumori Dragon to summon Archfiend of Gilfer! I'll also lay a card facedown and end my turn," Yugi explained.

"Oh yeah, well I summon Silver Fang, Kamakiriman, and Alligator's Sword, but they won't be around for long, because now the Seal of Satan shall turn them into Shadow Wolf, Humantis, and Dark Alligator's Sword!" Valkorcan said. Silver Fang suddenly turned pitch black and semitransparent, all the while becoming more vicious (2200/1800). Kamakiriman was much more horrible. The demon it turned into looked like a sick and twisted science experiment! It looked a creature that was half human, half mantis (2150/2400)! Alligator's Sword became something of a more vicious-looking killer, armed with two swords and teeth like needles (2500/2200).

"But I'm not done yet, for I also give my Dark Alligator's Sword Beast Fangs, which gives it 300 more Attack and Defense Points!" said Valkorcan. Indeed, now its stats were 2800/2500. "Now, attack that Queen's Knight!"

"Not so fast! I activate Zero Gravity!" he said. Suddenly, every monster on the field changed to Defense Mode. No one was destroyed.

"Now I'll change Archfiend of Gilfer back to Attack Mode. Now destroy his Shadow Wolf!" he said. The fiend ripped apart the evil beast, and Yugi ended his turn.

"I can do the exact same thing. I'll put my Dark Alligator's Sword back into Attack Mode and now that he's strong enough, he can destroy your Archfiend easily," said Valkorcan. The alligator demon slashed up the Archfiend, killing it and making Yugi's Life Points 7300. Oddly, Yugi started to feel some kind of strange pain from that attack.

But how? Isn't it just a hologram? he thought. Then, the Archfiend's special ability kicked in.

"Nice try. Now that the Archfiend of Gilfer has been destroyed, he can weaken one of your monsters, and I choose your Dark Alligator's Sword!" he said. A mysterious spirit came out of Yugi's Graveyard and flew into the reptilian monster, lowering its Attack Points to 2300. Yugi drew another card from his Deck, and smiled when he saw that it was Brave Attack.

"I now activate the Spell Card, Brave Attack!" he said, and all three of his Knights raised their swords in the air as one.

"What good will that do?" Valkorcan asked.

"Now all three of my monsters will charge at your Dark Alligator's Sword and destroy it!" he said.

"That'll show him for makin' a mutant outta one of my favorite monsters!" Joey said. First Queen's Knight, then King's Knight, and finally Jack's Knight charged to the demon and slashed it with their swords. The monster fell, but unfortunately because of the side effect of Brave Attack, Yugi's monsters were destroyed as well.

"I'm not done yet, Pharaoh!" Valkorcan warned.

Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Domino City, Kaiba was awaiting the arrival of Mokuba's kidnapper. Just then, the same man he saw in the video had arrived, riding a strange-looking horse. It looked like a horse, but it had fire for hair and horns protruding from its head above its eyes in the same manner as _Triceratops_.

"So you've arrived. Your courage in coming here is admirable. Permit me to introduce myself: I am Sir Aiakelotho," said the knight.

"Cut the small talk, Don Quixote, and return my brother!" Seto threatened.

"Sorry, but I won't give him back unless you defeat me in a duel," Aiakelotho said while dismounting his horse.

"You're going to regret saying that when my Blue-Eyes White Dragons and I mop the field with you," Seto said, activating his Duel Disk.

"Not even they can stand up to true darkness!" Aiakelotho said while preparing his own Disk.

"Let's duel!" they said simultaneously as they got 8000 Life Points.

"It's my move, and I'll start by advancing my Vilepawn Archfiend one square ahead," said Aiakelotho. A demon wielding a pike and shield (1200/200) appeared on the field. "Then I'll activate the Field Spell Card Pandemonium, so that I don't have to pay Life Points for my Archfiends. That'll be my turn for now," The field turned into a demonic chess board that was festering with some kind of unnatural growth. Kaiba saw that his hand contained Dragon Seeker (2000/2100), Mystic Horseman (1300/1550), Vorse Raider (1900/1200), Cost Down, and Negate Attack.

"I'll show you why pawns are the weakest chess pieces, by summoning Vorse Raider the Man-Beast!" he said. The ferocious Beast-Warrior appeared on the field, ready to cut through Aiakelotho's monster.

"Vorse Raider, cut that monster in half!" Seto commanded. The beast did just that, and Aiakelotho's Life Points went down to 7300.

"Nice trick, but it won't work as well against…the Seal of Satan!" he said, activating the dreaded Spell Card. "This one card is going to change everything!"

"You idiot! There's no such thing as this 'Seal of Satan'. I'm the President of Kaiba Corp; I know every Duel Monsters card currently in existence," Seto said.

"Looks like it's time to update your database," Aiakelotho warned, as he stuck the Seal of Satan into the slot for Field Spell Cards.

"Wait a minute; you can't have two Field Spells active at once!" Seto protested.

"Wrong again. The Seal of Satan is a spell unto itself," the knight said. A living shadow of a netherworld dragon appeared on the field and flew into the ground. It turned into a ring that surrounded both players, and then a five-pointed star appeared within the circle.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kaiba asked.

"This is a glimpse of things to come. When I win this duel, your soul will burn in Hell forever!" Aiakelotho said.

"You mean _if_ you win, because that's what _I_ intend to do," Seto said.

"We'll see about that when I draw the backbone of the army: Shadowknight Archfiend!" said the knight. A demonic knight riding an equally terrifying horse (2000/1600) appeared on the field. "And here's the beauty part: when the Seal of Satan is in play, all my monsters transform into demons and gain 1000 Attack and Defense Points. However, the transformation will only take place if my monsters are anything except Fiend-Type or Dark Attribute monsters, and since my Shadowknight Archfiend is already a Fiend, he'll just get the strength boost." In response, the knight's stats became 3000/2600!

"Now, impale his Vorse Raider!" Aiakelotho ordered. The knight galloped forward and stabbed Seto's monster through the neck with his sword, killing it and reducing Seto's Life Points to 7450, since for some reason when Shadowknight Archfiend attacks, the damage he inflicts is halved. Grimacing, Seto simply drew a card, and saw that it was…Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)! Kaiba's signature card! This would certainly help out.

"I hope you're ready for defeat, because here it comes. First I'll summon Mystic Horseman in Attack Mode, then by sending one of my cards to the Graveyard I can activate the Spell Card Cost Down, to reduce the monsters in my hand by 2 Levels, which will make it easier to summon…" he began as he performed the actions and sacrificed the Mystic Horseman "…the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he declared. The majestic white dragon graced the field and roared ferociously. Upon seeing this, Aiakelotho snarled at Seto contemptuously.

"You bastard! You have no right to wield the power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he said.

"So what if I do? What are you going to do about it? Throw sand in my eyes?" Seto taunted.

"Only _I_ have the power to command dragons! You're just a lowborn cur!" the knight said.

"Look who's talking. You probably stole all of your dragons; I _earned_ the Blue-Eyes, and she's going to obliterate you," Seto said.

"I bet you _would_, if we weren't evenly matched," said Aiakelotho. Unfortunately, he was right about that: both monsters had 3000 Attack Points, and if one attacked, they would both be destroyed.

Meanwhile, back at Yugi's duel with the Valkorcan, the goat demon was preparing his next move.

"It's time for a blast from the past. I activate Monster Reincarnation, and I'll bring one of my monsters back to my hand. Now I'll summon Balloon Lizard, and thanks to the Seal of Satan, he'll become the Gargoyle Lizard!" he said. A lizard with an inflated body (500/1900) appeared on the field, and then began to mutate. It suddenly deflated and became very muscular! The creature it turned into looked like the combination of a monitor lizard and a gargoyle (1500/2900)! "But he won't be around for long, for I'll activate my second Ultra Evolution Pill, and replace my Gargoyle with…Black Tyranno! Woops, check that; I mean the Demon _Tyrannosaurus rex_!" The Gargoyle Lizard disappeared and a pitch-black _Tyrannosaurus rex_ (2600/1800) appeared in its place, but it began to transform as well! Its black skin became as dark red as the fires of hell, and long necklaces of demonic saliva dripped from its dagger-like teeth. Then its stats rose to 3600/2800!

"Now, attack his Life Points directly!" Valkorcan commanded. The demonic dinosaur ripped through Yugi's Life Points, reducing them to 3700!

"Yugi, no!" Téa said in horror.

"That's got to be the most powerful card I've ever seen!" I said, astonished at the Seal of Satan's power.

"It's the most unfair, too; since when can a Spell Card turn your monsters into demons?" Joey said.

"No kidding; Yugi's already down to 3700 Life Points and that goat guy hasn't lost any!" Tristan noted.

Heart of the Cards, guide my hand, Yugi thought to himself as he placed his hand on his Deck. Drawing his card, he got a very useful one indeed: Pot of Greed.

"I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed, so I can draw two more cards," Yugi said. The cards he drew were Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500) and Summoned Skull (2500/1200).

"Your Demon _Tyrannosaurus rex_ is going to reface extinction, Valkorcan! I now remove Archfiend of Gilfer and Jack's Knight from play to summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" Yugi declared. A knight that looked like the Black Luster Soldier, except with blue and gold armor, appeared on the field.

"Wow! I didn't know Yugi had _that_ card in his deck!" an astonished Joey said.

"He's the King of Games; what did you expect?" I said.

"Big deal; my dinosaur is more powerful," the goat demon said, obviously not impressed.

"Did you forget about his special ability?" Yugi said. "My Black Luster Soldier can remove one monster on your side of the field from play, at the cost of my ability to attack with him this turn," Yugi said. The Soldier pointed his sword at the Demon _Tyrannosaurus rex_, and a mysterious light shot from it. The dinosaur roared in confusion, and disintegrated.

"I summon Gokibore in Defense Mode, and he'll become the Plagued Cockroach!" Valkorcan said. The beetle (1200/1400) then turned into a hideous and revolting roach (2200/2400). Yugi drew one more card and got Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200).

"I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, and I sacrifice him to create the Summoned Skull," Yugi said. The menacing demon appeared on the field next to the Black Luster Soldier.

"Now, Black Luster Soldier, destroy the Plagued Cockroach!" Yugi said. The knight cut the demonic insect in half. "And he's not done yet; when Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning destroys a monster in battle, he can attack once again!" After the knight killed the Plagued Cockroach, he then cut through Valkorcan's Life Points, making them 5000.

"Summoned Skull, electrify him even more!" Yugi continued. The Summoned Skull charged up and launched a barrage of lightning bolts to the goat demon, reducing his Life Points further to 2500.

"I summon Granadora, who is soon to be the Eldritch Dinosaur, in Defense Mode, and as long as he stays that way, I gain 1000 Life Points, starting now," Valkorcan said. A spiked lizard (1900/700) appeared on the field, and then became the combination of a Komodo dragon and a knight (2900/1700). Just then, Valkorcan's Life Points became 3500. Yugi drew one more card…and drew one he never saw before! It was a Spell Card, but in the portrait was a magnificent green dragon…just like the one he saw in his dream!

"It's that dragon! What are his powers?" Yugi asked. Then he remembered the name: "Eye of Timaeus."

"I now summon…the Eye of Timaeus!" he said, and the dragon appeared. Unlike the Claw of Helmos Joey showed us, Timaeus's blue-green skin was more like the skin of a crocodile. Suddenly, something in Yugi told him about this dragon's capabilities.

"Timaeus, combine with the Summoned Skull and form…the Baelrog Dragon!" he said. The two creatures combined and formed a mysterious dragon instead. It had horns like scimitars, and dark red skin. An aura of darkness emanated from the creature. Its stats read to be 3000/2400.

"What? How can you have the Eye of Timaeus?" Valkorcan said.

"I don't know, but I do know he'll help me destroy your dark power! Speaking of which, the Baelrog Dragon gains 300 Attack Points for every Dark Attribute monster on the field - including your Eldritch Dinosaur!" said Yugi. In response, the Dragon's Attack Points became 3300.

"Now, destroy his Eldritch Dinosaur, and Black Luster Soldier, attack his Life Points directly!" Yugi said. The Baelrog Dragon breathed a stream of hellfire at Valkorcan's creature, destroying it. Then, the Black Luster Soldier cut his Life Points again, making his Life Points 500! Unfortunately, the Baelrog Dragon's Attack Points fell back down to 3000.

"You're going to pay for this, Yugi Moto, with your life!" said Valkorcan, but then, a voice in his mind stopped his hand.

"Valkorcan, return to the temple. We must revise our strategy," said the voice.

"You got lucky this time, Moto. I must leave now, but rest assured I'll return for your souls!" he said. "Patefacio Signum of Obscurum!1" Suddenly, the Seal of Satan disappeared, and the duel abruptly ended. And Valkorcan turned back into a human.

"Hey, where are you going? You have some questions to answer, goat boy!" I said. Valkorcan didn't hear me, and ran as fast as he could.

"I'm going after him," I said.

"Demetrios, don't! You saw how dangerous he was," Téa advised.

"I'll take any risk to find out about this cult and stop it," I said, heading back to the Game Shop, as Lily and Moon Shadow were still there.

"Good luck, Demetrios," Yugi said as Lily, Moon Shadow, and I left.

Back at Seto's duel with Aiakelotho, the score stood at the former's 7450 to the knight's 7300. Both their monsters had 3000 Attack Points.

"So, would you mind making your move and returning my brother to me?" Seto asked impatiently.

"As much as I desire to have the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in _my_ deck, I'm afraid I'll have to destroy her. I summon Terrorking Archfiend in Attack Mode and place one card facedown," Aiakelotho said, creating the demonic king (2000/1500, which became 3000/2500) and a facedown card appeared behind them.

"And good is he going to do? It's just more of the same," Seto said, drawing a card.

"Just what I need: the Pot of Greed. Let's see what's inside," he said, activating the aforementioned card. He drew two more cards from his Deck, and got Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) and Flute of Summoning Dragon. Perfect, he thought.

"I summon Lord of Dragons in Defense Mode, and I place one card facedown as well," Seto said.

"Some sissy mage isn't going to save your dragon, Kaiba. That's why I summon Infernalqueen Archfiend, and now I sacrifice her and Shadowknight Archfiend to summon my own Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Aiakelotho said, creating the demon queen (900/1500, then 1900/2500) and sacrificing her and the knight to summon his own creature! Seto couldn't believe what he saw.

"But how? I destroyed the fourth Blue-Eyes!" he said, though he regretted saying that as it brought up a memory he didn't like.

"That's what you think. And now watch as the Seal of Satan works its magic and turns her into the Blue-Eyes _Demon_ Dragon!" Aiakelotho said. The Blue-eyes roared in great pain as she began to transform. Her magnificent white armor-like scales became as red as the fires of hell, and she glowed with an unnatural aura. Her characteristic blue eyes turned blood red, and unnatural light glowed from within her roaring mouth. Seto was actually _terrified_ of the demon that stood before him

"What have you done to her?" he demanded to know.

"Oh, just a tune-up. One that will kill you easily," said the knight. The demon dragon's stats became 4000/3500! "Now, Blue-Eyes Demon Dragon, destroy the Lord of Dragons with _Dark_ Lightning!" The dragon fired a black lightning strike from its mouth and easily destroyed the spellcaster.

"So, what are you going to do now that your favorite monster is vulnerable?" Aiakelotho asked tauntingly.

"That's what you think," Seto said, and drew a card. It was Crush Card. Just great, he thought. I get one of my favorite Trap Cards and I can't use it. But I won't lose to this fraud, he assured himself. "I lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

"That's all? I was hoping for a challenge. Blue-Eyes Demon Dragon, destroy your weaker self!" said Aiakelotho. The demonic dragon fired dark lightning once more - at the monster she used to be!

"Not so fast! I activate Negate Attack!" said Seto, activating the trap and rendering the Blue-Eyes Demon Dragon's attack harmless.

"You just lucked out," Aiakelotho said with obvious chagrin.

"I don't need luck," Seto retorted, drawing a card. It was one he never saw before: it was a great dragon with black armor-like scales. He felt something strange come over him as he held the card in his hand. Is this what I saw in my dream? he thought. What was this new and mysterious card capable of?

"Go ahead and make your move, unless you're willing to admit defeat, Kaiba," Aiakelotho said snobbishly.

"I'll never surrender to a lowborn cur like you! That's why I summon…the Fang of Critias!" Seto declared. The great dragon appeared on the field next to the Blue-Eyes. Aiakelotho was utterly shocked.

"Impossible! How did you get that creature?" he said.

"I don't know, but I do know that I'll kick your ass with it, by combining it with my favorite Trap: the Crush Card!" Seto continued, combining the two cards.

"What? You can't combine a monster and a Trap!" Aiakelotho said.

"Says the guy who seeks to intimidate me with some cheap knock-off card. Behold, the Doom Virus Dragon!" Seto declared again. Critias's black scales became dark violet and more like the skin of a crocodile. A noxious gas emerged from his jaws.

"And thanks to his special ability, your Blue-Eyes Demon Dragon is automatically destroyed!" he continued. The Doom Virus Dragon breathed a stream of toxic gas from its mouth, corroding the Blue-Eyes Demon Dragon and destroying it.

"Now, my two dragons will attack your Life Points directly!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacked with her signature White Lightning and the Doom Virus Dragon unleashed more toxic gas, bringing Aiakelotho's Life Points down to 2400! The dark knight barely got up from the attack.

"You win this round, Seto Kaiba, but I will be back! Patefacio Signum of Obscurum!" he said. Suddenly, the Seal of Satan disappeared, and Aiakelotho returned to the temple of his master.

"Get back here you coward!" Seto demanded.

"You'll have to catch me first!" the knight said, getting on his horse and galloping off into the darkness.

"To find my brother, I'll chase you to hell itself!" Seto shouted to him.

And so, the hunt was on to find the mysterious and evil cult.

1 "Open the Seal of Darkness!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Mark of the Assassin

On Moon Shadow's back, Lily and I chased Valkorcan through miles of wilderness. He did indeed have the strength of an animal, as he did not seem to stop for any reason, even to take a breath. Still, none of us would give up either. Suddenly, as both savage and horse leapt over a large log, someone swooped down from the trees and knocked me off my horse!

"Whoa, boy! Whoa!" Lily said, bringing Moon Shadow to a halt.

"Great, he got away!" I said as Valkorcan ran off into the distance. Just then, the three of us heard sinister laughter.

"Who goes there?" I demanded to know as I rubbed my jaw, chest, and back to ease the pain.

"You'll have to catch me first," said a scheming Southern accent in the canopy above.

"I'll fix this," Lily said. "Illumino!1" she said. A bright light emerged and illuminated the forest. As she kept up this spell, a shadowy figure fell down from the trees and hit the ground with a painful thud.

"Turn down that light! You'll make me blind!" he complained. Just then he realized his cover was blown.

"Shit! You can see me! But wait; since you're Demetrios, it doesn't matter that much; I'll kill you even without the advantage of stealth," he bragged.

"We'll see about that," I said, still lost on the name.

"The name's Benedict, and you'll do well to remember it, as it is the last name you'll ever hear," he said, activating a Dark Duel Disk. I activated my own.

"Duel!" we said simultaneously as our Life Points set at 8000.

"Demetrios, please be careful," Lily said.

"Don't worry; I will be," I assured her.

"Let's see you put your money where your mouth is, as I summon Nin-Ken Dog in Attack Mode!" said Benedict, summoning an anthropoid dog in a ninja costume, complete with a sword (1800/1000) appeared on the field, ready for battle. I examined my hand, and saw that I initially drew Cyber Dragon (2100/1600), Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600), Megamorph, Unshaven Angler (1500/1600), and Neo Aqua Madoor (1200/3000). This was a no-brainer.

"Let's see how your dog stands up to my Cyber Dragon!" I said, summoning the metallic serpent thanks to his special ability. "Incinerate that mutt!" The Cyber Dragon unleashed a stream of super-hot fire, easily killing the Nin-Ken Dog and reducing Benedict's Life Points to 7700.

"You just got lucky, knight boy," Benedict said angrily.

"No, I'm just better at dueling," I said.

"We'll just see about that, when I summon Strike Ninja, and this…the Seal of Orichalcos!" he said, activating that evil card that Lily and I were all too familiar with. The magic circle appeared on the field and surrounded us. The six-sided star appeared in it and glowed brightly.

"I'm sure by now you know the drill. Not only are we both in here until one of us falls, but my monsters and I gain the power of the Orichalcos!" said Benedict, as the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead and his eyes glowed crimson. His monster, the Strike Ninja (1700/1200) appeared on the field, as well as gaining the dark powers of the Orichalcos; his eyes glowed red from under his cowl and the symbol appeared on the upper part. Not only that, but his Attack Points went up to 2200, making him stronger than my Cyber Dragon!

"Strike Ninja, make scrap metal out of Demetrios's Cyber Dragon!" Benedict commanded, and the shadowy warrior unsheathed his sword and cut my machine in half. My Life Points descended to 7900. "I'll lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

"You forget that Cyber Dragon is a Light Attribute monster, and you'll see how easily light extinguishes darkness," I said, drawing a card from my Deck. The one I got was Thunder Dragon (1600/1500). I'd have to save it for later.

"I summon Unshaven Angler in Attack Mode, and then I sacrifice it to summon Neo Aqua Madoor in Defense Mode," I said. First the hideous fish appeared, and then the aquatic sorcerer appeared in its place with his arms crossed. Now Benedict couldn't touch my Life Points, thanks to my monster's 3000 Defense Points. "I'll lay a facedown card of my own and end my turn."

"Looks like _you_ forgot something as well: a ninja is a master of himself and his environment. That's why I activate one of my facedown cards, Stop Defense, putting your Neo Aqua Madoor in Attack Mode, and now I'll activate another Spell Card, this time from my hand: Fuhma Shuriken!" he said. Suddenly, the Neo Aqua Madoor stood up, and Strike Ninja got a nasty-looking throwing star in his hand that raised his Attack Points to 2900!

"Now, Strike Ninja, make a pincushion out of my enemy!" Benedict continued, and his minion threw the shuriken with such force that it impaled the heart of my wizard, killing him and reducing my Life Points to 6200!

"And here's the beauty part: when Fuhma Shuriken goes to the Graveyard, you lose 700 more Life Points," he added. Just then, my Life Points did indeed descend to 5500! I was already behind!

"Don't worry, Demetrios! You can pull through!" Lily assured me.

"I'll try," I said, drawing another card, and saw that it was Shinato's Ark. Just what I needed.

"I told you that light will shine through, because I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Shinato's Ark! With it, I sacrifice Beta the Magnet Warrior and Thunder Dragon to summon…Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!" I said. A great ark appeared in the sky, pulling in the two monsters I sacrificed. The ship disappeared, and the greatest of all fairies, Shinato (3300/3000) descended from the heavens on his six wings.

"Destroy that ninja once and for all!" I commanded. Shinato gathered in his hands an orb of holy light, and threw it at the Strike Ninja. The light incinerated him, and made Benedict's Life Points 7300.

"You'll pay for that," he said.

"Tell that to my monster in all his 3300 Attack Point-having glory," I taunted.

"I summon my secondary Nin-Ken Dog in Defense Mode and end my turn for now," he said. The anthropoid appeared again, but this time, he got the mark of the Orichalcos on his forehead and his eyes glowed red, while his Attack Points went up to 2300. I drew another card from my deck and got Monster Reborn. Hmm, I could use this, but not just yet.

"Shinato, attack again!" I ordered. Shinato this time fired a beam of light, killing Nin-Ken Dog. Not only that, but Benedict's Life Points went down to 5500, evening the score.

"What the hell?" Benedict said in shock.

"Didn't you learn anything about Duel Monsters? When Shinato destroys a monster in Defense Mode, you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's original Attack Points," I explained.

"So we're even now. But not for long. I play Monster Reborn and bring back Strike Ninja, but this time, I activate my other facedown card, the Trap Card Ninjitsu Art of Decoy! Now you can't destroy my monster in battle. Sure I still take the damage, but that's a small price to pay for your demise," he said.

"Don't you know any math? Shinato's still stronger, and I'll prove it," I said. Shinato launched another beam of light, but as Benedict described, it only burned the ninja instead of killing him, though that didn't stop his Life Points from going down to 4400.

"Not for long. I'll equip my Strike Ninja with _two_ Equip Spell Cards: first with Sword of Dark Destruction, which gives him 400 more Attack Points and takes away 200 Defense Points, then with my secondary Fuhma Shuriken, to raise his Attack Points by another 700!" Benedict said. He did as he said, and first the Strike Ninja's stats became 2600/1000, and then the Attack Points rose to 3300!

"So what? You just made a stalemate," I said.

"That's what you think, but thanks to my Ninjitsu Art of Decoy, my ninja _can't_ be destroyed in battle, and I'll prove it!" Benedict said. Using his new sword, the ninja cut Shinato in half. Our Life Points remained unchanged, but thanks to his Trap Card, his monster still stood!

"Geez, this guy's tricky. Even one of your best monsters couldn't beat him," Lily said, starting to get worried.

"I'll find a way," I said, drawing a card from my Deck; this time I got Mirror Force. Just what I needed.

"I play my own Monster Reborn and bring back my Cyber Dragon, and I lay one card facedown," I said.

"_You're_ the one my boss is trying to snuff out? This should be even easier than I thought; I could even retire after this. Strike Ninja, repeat history!" Benedict commanded. The Strike Ninja drew the Sword of Dark Destruction and charged forward to attack.

"You walked right into that one: I activate Mirror Force, and now your ninja's going to destroy himself. It's not exactly seppuku, but it'll do," I said. The Sword turned around in the ninja's hands and stabbed its bearer.

"You'll pay for that," he said. I just gave him a stern look. I drew another card from my Deck and got another Cyber Dragon. Good; just two more cards and I could create the most powerful machine there is.

"I summon Armed Ninja in Defense Mode, and now he's the one I'm going to use Ninjitsu Art of Decoy on, as well as his Attack Points increasing by 500," Benedict explained. A ninja in a blue costume and wielding a guisarme appeared on the field to defend his summoner. Just as with the Strike Ninja, the Armed Ninja also got the mark of the Orichalcos on his forehead and red eyes, and his Attack Points became 800. Great, I thought. He summons a weak monster that I now can't destroy thanks to his Trap Card. I would just have to draw cards again. I did so, and got my _third_ Cyber Dragon! Excellent! Just one more and I'd be home free.

"I summon Crimson Ninja in Attack Mode, and I also activate the Spell Card, Great Kite of Ninja. With it, my Crimson Ninja cannot be harmed by Spell or Trap Cards, and in addition, he can take to the air and attack your Life Points directly!" he said. Just then, a ninja in a red costume armed with a sword (300/300) appeared, while gaining the mark of the Orichalcos, red eyes, and 500 additional Attack Points, and strapped a kite to his back. He flew to my side of the field in the style of a hang-glider and struck me with his sword, making my Life Points 4700. This is it, I thought to myself as I drew one more card. And it was…Polymerization! Just what I needed.

"I hope you gave your boss the two week notice, because I activate Polymerization! Now I'll combine my three Cyber Dragons to forge the most powerful machine in the world…the Cyber End Dragon!" I declared. I activated the card, and my three dragons became as one: a three-headed draconian machine with magnificent wings (4000/2800).

"Cyber End Dragon, destroy the Crimson Ninja!" I said. All three cybernetic heads fired powerful streams of fire at the ninja, leaving him as nothing more than ashes in his sandals, and Benedict's Life Points took a major nosedive to 1200!

"This can't be! I'm a ninja! Only very skilled warriors can defeat us!" Benedict said in disbelief.

"You're looking at one," I said confidently.

"You don't scare me, knight, even if what the prophecy says is true. I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman in Defense Mode," he said. The samurai (1100/1100) appeared on the field, while gaining the dark powers of the Orichalcos.

"That's the same mistake you made last time. Cyber End Dragon, attack Benedict again!" I ordered. "Here's how: when Cyber End Dragon attacks with more Attack Points than your monster's Defense Points, you take the extra damage." Like I said, Masaki was incinerated, and Benedict's Life Points became 0.

"No! This can't be happening!" said Benedict.

"Oh, but it is," I said, as the Orichalcos Ring shrank around my opponent and shot a stream of light into the sky.

"NOOOO! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, DEMETRIOS!" he shouted as his soul was pulled from his body and collapsed into a heap.

"I'm glad that's done with," I said.

As Thatehos was praying to his dark god, he sensed something. He only had to look up to see Benedict's soul being drawn into the bottle that the statue of Satan held in his left hand.

"Hmm, so three of my seven Orichalcos users have been defeated. It would seem that I've underestimated my prey. No matter; the ultimate predator shall win this hunt," he said to himself.

"It's good that you got rid of another cultist, but how do we find that guy and his boss?" said Lily.

"I think the _bigger_ question is how do we find our way out of here?" I said, looking around the dark forest for a possible exit. Nearby, a hungry predator growled with anticipation, waiting for the right moment to strike.

1 "Light!"


	5. Chapter 5

Prelude to a Legend

Chapter V

The Ultimate Predator

Lily and I walked around the forest for a while, looking for a way back to Domino City. Thankfully, we could see the city lights from a clearing. However, something else was watching us as well.

"Do you think Yugi and the others are okay?" Lily asked.

"Don't worry; remember, Yugi's the King of Games, and Joey got the Bronze at Battle City. I'm sure they're fine," I said.

"Too bad you can't say the same thing about yourself, knight," said the watcher. Then, with a leap that would shame a hungry mountain lion, the creature pounced on me and knocked me off of Moon Shadow! I could only see it for a split second, but I saw that it was Valkorcan! He went for my throat with his sharpened teeth, but I managed to hold him off!

"Compello!1" declared Lily, as she cast another spell. This one pushed Valkorcan off of me, and I got back up and regained my composure.

"I knew I'd find you," I said as I recognized him.

"Yugi was just target practice; _you_ are my prey!" he said as he activated his Dark Duel Disk.

"Don't count on it," I said as I activated my own Disk and prepared my Deck.

"Duel!" we said simultaneously as our Life Points set at 8000.

"Please be careful, Demetrios; that guy has the Seal of Satan," Lily warned.

"I'm not afraid, not with the Deck I have," I assured her.

"You'll need more than an attitude to defeat me, especially when I summon Abare Ushioni," Valkorcan said. A bull-like creature with a shortened face and covered with eyes (1200/1200) appeared on his side of the field.

"Sure, I can't attack with him yet, but I can do the next best thing," he explained, producing a coin from his tattered remains of pants.

"This can't be good," I said, as I remembered reading in Lily's books that some ancient civilizations delved so deeply into sorcery that even the most seemingly insignificant trinket found in an archaeological dig could be used in arcane rituals.

"Of course it's not good - for you, anyway," Valkorcan retorted. "When I flip a coin when Abare Ushioni is on the field, if I call it right, you lose 1000 Life Points. If I get the other side, I lose the points. Let's see whose the luckier one. Heads." He flipped the coin, and it spun in the air. Valkorcan smiled confidently that he would get the desired half, while I hoped that the opposite side would come up. The coin landed in his palm, and he slapped it onto the back of his other hand. It was…heads!

"Ah-ha! I knew I'd get it!" Valkorcan said. Abare Ushioni galloped toward me and hit me square in the chest, reducing my Life Points to 7000.

"Don't celebrate just yet. I still have 7000 more Life Points, and cards in my hand," I said bravely. I looked at said hand, and saw that it contained Hydrogeddon (1600/1000), Enraged Battle Ox (1700/1000), Pyramid of Light, Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000), and Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300).

"Well, since I'm dealing with a wild animal, this job needs a woman's touch. That's why I summon Cyber Harpie Lady in Attack Mode," I said. The beautiful bird woman graced the field, ready to attack. "Cyber Harpie Lady, give him death from above!" She flew upward and then dived with the speed and accuracy of a peregrine falcon. With only two swipes from her avian talons, Abare Ushioni was killed, and Valkorcan's Life Points went down to 7400.

"So much for luck, eh?" I said confidently.

"You should follow your own advice about not celebrating too soon, because I summon Cockroach Knight in Defense Mode, but like you, he won't be around for long, because I'll sacrifice him to summon the King of Beasts himself, Leogun!" Valkorcan explained. An anthropoid cockroach wielding a sword and shield (800/900) appeared on the field, but was almost immediately replaced by a fierce lion with black fur and a gold mane (1750/1550).

"And that's not all. I also activate the Spell Card Wild Nature's Release. It makes my lion even stronger by adding his Defense Points to his Attack Points," he explained further. True to what he said, Leogun's Attack Points became 3300!

"No way! Now he has 3300 Attack Points!" I said.

"Exactly, and he's going to use them all on you. Leogun, attack!" Valkorcan said. The strengthened lion charged and mauled Cyber Harpie Lady easily. Not only that, but my Life Points took a big bite as well; they went down to 5500! But thankfully, because of the side effect of Wild Nature's Release, Leogun was destroyed.

"Demetrios, hang in there!" Lily said in desperation.

"I will," I said, drawing a card from my Deck. I got Gravity Axe - Grarl. I'd have to wait a while to use it, though.

"You're not the only one with wild animals, Valkorcan, for I summon Enraged Battle Ox in Attack Mode," I said. The ax-wielding Minotaur appeared on my side of the field, ready to attack.

"Attack his Life Points directly!" I continued. The Enraged Battle Ox swiped his axe across Valkorcan's torso, reducing his Life Points to 5700.

"Good going!" Lily said happily. Moon Shadow neighed in agreement.

"Oooh, you shouldn't have done that, mortal scum. Now I summon Two-Headed King Rex in Attack Mode, and I play Monster Reborn and bring back an old friend, Leogun," Valkorcan said. A two-headed draconian dinosaur (1600/1200) appeared on the field, and Leogun appeared next to it.

"Great. Now I have two kings to deal with," I said.

"That's not all. Now I play…the Seal of Satan!" he continued. He raised the evil card in the air, and it glowed an unholy red. A dire wolf made of the same evil energy appeared on the field between the Two-Headed King Rex and Leogun.

"Give us the power of the Dark Emperor!" Valkorcan said. The wolf howled loudly, and then it sank into the ground and turned into a great ring that surrounded Valkorcan and me. A five-pointed star appeared in the ring, and the completed pentagram glowed intensely with the fires of hell.

"No, not again!" I said.

"Oh, yes!" Valkorcan said as he turned into the same goat demon that he became when he dueled Yugi.

"And in case you forgot, my monsters become demons as well, and gain 1000 Attack and Defense Points," he continued. As soon as he said that, the Two-Headed King Rex's skin turned pitch black, and it glowed with an unhallowed red aura. Leogun also turned completely black, and his face was filled with demonic frenzy.

"Now say hello to Two-Headed Netherworld Drake and Black Lion!" Valkorcan declared. Along with the transformation, the two monsters' stats respectively rose to 2600/2200 and 2750/2550!

"It can't be!" I said in shock.

"It is. Two-Headed Netherworld Drake, destroy the Enraged Battle Ox!" Valkorcan ordered. The demon tore up my monster, and my Life Points went down to 4600.

"Now, Black Lion, attack his Life Points directly!" he continued. The lion mauled me, and my Life Points went down further to 1850! But that was not the worst part, oh no. When the two demons attacked, I _felt_ the pain the inflicted! I felt like I was close…to death!

"Lily…what's happening to me?" I said, since she had vast magical knowledge.

"I don't know, my love. This magic is beyond even my ability," she said.

"Then there's no choice…I _have_ to win!" I said, standing up.

"You are a fool. The Seal of Orichalcos may be powerful, but this is _true_ darkness. You have no chance of winning!" Valkorcan bragged.

"I do…and I will!" I said bravely, drawing a card from my Deck. I drew…Swords of Revealing Light!

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" I said. As I declared the card's name, shining swords rained down from the sky and surrounded Valkorcan's monsters. "Now you can't attack me for three more turns."

"You're only postponing the inevitable, my friend," he said tauntingly.

"Ha! With a friend like you, who needs enemies?" I said.

"You have more than one, because I activate a Spell Card of my own: Cost Down. Now by discarding a card from my hand, I can turn Black Tyranno into a Level 5 monster, so now I just have to sacrifice Two-Headed Netherworld Drake to summon a greater dinosaur! Oh, and in case you forgot my duel with Yugi, Black Tyranno becomes the Demon _Tyrannosaurus rex_!" Valkorcan explained. Thus, the Two-Headed Netherworld Drake was replaced by the black therapod (2600/1800), and it turned into the demonic dinosaur once again, and its Attack and Defense Points rose to 3600/2800!

Well, so much for my plan to use Black Skull Dragon, I thought. But thanks to my Swords of Revealing Light, Valkorcan could only lay a card facedown and then end his turn.

If I don't get something good soon, I don't want to know what could happen, I thought, drawing a card from my Deck. I saw that I got…the Cure Mermaid?

"Don't worry, Demetrios. You can win this," said a sweet and lovely girl's voice.

Who said that? I thought. I looked at Lily, but she was focused on the duel and my victory. Not to mention the voice I heard didn't sound like Lily's. Then it dawned on me. Was the Cure Mermaid card…_talking_ to me? Duel Monsters cards that turned one's monsters into evil demons was one thing, but this was too much even for me.

But then again, if one of my cards is speaking to me, then I think I ought to summon her. I knew keeping the Cure Mermaid out of the Graveyard was a good idea, I reasoned.

"I summon the Cure Mermaid in Defense Mode," I declared. The beautiful mermaid appeared on the field, with her red tail curled underneath her so she could sit up, and had her graceful pink fish scale opera gloved arms crossed defensively.

"And what makes her so lovely is that before my turn ends, she increases my Life Points by 800," I explained. With that, she waved her arms as if to cast a spell, and then she glowed red, the color of life. The glow intensified, and my Life Points went up to 2650. Then she resumed her defensive position.

"You're pinning all your hope of victory on some aquatic broad? You're even stupider than I took you for! I'll show you a real woman, by summoning Pinch Hopper, or rather, Apocalypse Locust," Valkorcan said. A giant grasshopper (1000/1200) appeared on the field, and underwent a demonic transformation like his other monsters. The grasshopper got onto its hind legs and its exoskeleton became as hard as iron. Its face became as that of a man, and a woman's hair sprouted from its head, and it was topped off with a golden war crown. The creature's wings grew much larger, and a scorpion's tail grew from the abdomen, and despite having a human face, its teeth became those of a lion. An iron breastplate adorned its thorax, and a sword and shield appeared in its modified foremost legs. Additionally, its Attack and Defense Points became 2000/2200.

"I thought we were having a duel, not Bible studies," Lily said.

"That thing doesn't scare me," I added.

"The _next_ monster certainly will. I activate the Spell Card, Eradicating Aerosol. With it, I can destroy one Insect-Type monster on either side of the field, and I'll use it on my own Apocalypse Locust," he said. A giant spray can appeared above the field, and sprayed an incredibly poisonous insecticide on the Apocalypse Locust, killing it in seconds.

"Destroy your own monster? What good will that do?" I asked.

"It's the beauty part. When Pinch Hopper is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon _any_ Insect-Type monster from my hand, and I choose…the Insect Queen, or should I say…the Dark Goddess of Spiders!" A hideous spider-like creature with a large abdomen and a face resembling a human woman's on the cephalothorax (2200/2400) (though since she was a nasty-looking arachnid, "human" wasn't saying much) appeared on Valkorcan's side of the field, and then, like his other monsters, she also underwent a demonic transformation. The abdomen shrank until it was a size that was "normal" for a spider (well, a giant one anyway). Unbelievably, the face became _human_, with long black hair while her antennae disappeared, and the rest of the cephalothorax became the arms and torso of a human woman, complete with a seductively small waist and large breasts, but with unattractively gray skin. The rest of the arachnid exoskeleton turned black, and the classic black widow mark appeared on the bottom of the abdomen. Sure enough, the "improved" monster's Attack and Defense Points became 3200/3400.

"Now you have _two_ monsters with more than three thousand Attack Points to contend with, 'knight'. You might as well surrender now. Your death will be that less painful," Valkorcan taunted.

If the Cure Mermaid is really going to bring me victory, let's hope this next card is a good one, I thought, and drew…Mirror Force! Excellent!

"I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn. And I switch Cure Mermaid to Attack Mode," I said, switching the mermaid's position and laying down the new card I drew. "Oh yeah, and Cure Mermaid gives me 800 more Life Points." As I said, my Life Points then rose to 3450.

"What are you thinking? She won't last a minute against those monsters!" Lily said.

"Not to worry," I said to her while winking. She understood my plan.

"That won't matter, as this is the turn that Swords of Revealing Light expires, so I'm going to make it a good one. I summon Silver Fang in Attack Mode, or should I say, Shadow Wolf," Valkorcan said. The white wolf (1200/800) appeared on the field, and then turned into the black dire wolf that he became when he dueled Yugi (2200/1800).

"What good will that do?" I asked.

"Tell me, Demetrios, do you believe in the Great Old Ones? Well you should, because here comes one of their servants. I now sacrifice Shadow Wolf and Black Lion to summon Garnecia Elefantis, no wait, scratch that: Brother of Chaugnar Faugn!" Valkorcan declared. The two demons he mentioned disappeared from his side of the field, and in their place an incredibly tall half man, half elephant creature wielding a sword (2400/2000) appeared. Then it transformed as well. Its sword disappeared and the creature became more primal in appearance, while its eyes glowed with a demonic fury. With the transformation, the monster's stats became 3400/3000. Also, as Valkorcan said, the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared, and his three demons were ready to attack. I just laughed confidently.

"Well, well, if it ain't the Three Stooges," I said. "Though I personally think that dinosaur of yours would look better in _my_ Deck than in that of a stupid animal," I said.

"How dare you! No one insults nature like that and lives to tell about it! Demon _Tyrannosaurus rex_, attack Demetrios's little girlfriend and end this duel!" Valkorcan declared. The demonic therapod charged toward the Cure Mermaid, ready to cut her in half with his four-foot jaws and seven-inch teeth!

"Not so fast! I activate Mirror Force!" I declared. In that instant, all three of Valkorcan's monsters were destroyed!

"No! What have you done?" he said in shock.

"What I was destined to do: defeat you," I said bravely.

"That's what you think. You can defeat me, but you'll never defeat nature!" he said defensively.

"There you go again. What does nature have to do with anything, let alone this duel?" I asked.

"It's because of humans like you that nature is dying. Every day humans destroy forests and drive the wild things to extinction. That is why I joined Thatehos's cult: to avenge my wild brethren!" Valkorcan explained.

"You're an idiot if you truly believe that. Do you really think joining Thatehos's cult will correct environmental problems? If he succeeds, he'll only make things worse," I said.

"Look who's talking. Thatehos has shown me the light: 'civilization' must be destroyed!" he declared.

"I'll show you how wrong you are, and this time, I'll let my dueling do the talking," I said, drawing a card from my Deck. I got Oxygeddon (1800/800). Just one more card to complete the combination.

"I summon Hydrogeddon in Attack Mode, and now my two monsters will attack your Life Points directly!" I said. The liquid hydrogen _Ankylosaurus_ appeared on the field and prepared to attack. The Cure Mermaid fired a beam of red energy at Valkorcan (ironically, it was the same energy used to heal me), reducing his Life Points to 4200. Hydrogeddon then struck him with the club on the end of its tail, reducing them further to 2600.

"I'm not done yet. When Hydrogeddon inflicts damage to your Life Points, I can Special Summon another one from my Deck, and I'll do just that," I continued. Picking the card from my Deck, I summoned it to the field, and a second Hydrogeddon appeared next to the first one. "And this one will further demolish you!" The second Hydrogeddon attacked Valkorcan, making his Life Points only 1000! "Also, Cure Mermaid gives me 800 more Life Points." As such, my Life Points grew to 4250.

"I knew you could turn this duel around!" Lily said happily.

"You're wrong; you can't destroy the powers of darkness! That's why I summon the Little Chimera. No wait, make that the Burning Hellcat!" he said. A black cat with white wings (600/550) appeared on the field, but then turned into a black jaguar with the wings and tail of a demon, as well as its Attack and Defense Points rising to 1600/1550.

"And believe me, the Burning Hellcat is so fiery that everyone feels the heat! In other words, it gains 500 Attack Points since it's a Fire Attribute monster, and since your monsters are all Water Attribute monsters, they _lose_ 400 Attack Points!" Valkorcan explained. True to what he said, a hot, fiery aura emanated from his monster, and its Attack Points rose to 2100, while the Cure Mermaid's dropped to 1100 and the two Hydrogeddons' became 1200!

"Now, Burning Hellcat, incinerate the Cure Mermaid!" he continued, and the demon mauled her with fiery claws! The beautiful Cure Mermaid was killed, and my Life Points dropped to 3250!

"Don't worry, my love: you can still win," Lily assured me.

"I will. You'll pay for that, Valkorcan. This move will be for the whole human race," I said, starting to draw a card from my Deck.

Cure Mermaid, I'll make sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain, I thought as I drew the card. I looked at it, and it was…Bonding - H2O!

"All right, now for one of the fun parts of Duel Monsters. I summon Oxygeddon in Attack Mode, and then I activate the Spell Card, Bonding - H2O. The class is Chemistry 101. Your instructor is me, Demetrios. Here's your first lesson, Valkorcan: what happens when you combine two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom?" I said triumphantly and confidently.

"Go to hell with your sciences!" the goat demon said, obviously disgusted by the talk of civilization.

"I'll take that as 'I don't know', so here's the answer: you get water, or in this case, when you sacrifice two Hydrogeddons and one Oxygeddon via Bonding - H2O, you get one of the greatest sea serpents of all: the Water Dragon!" I explained. As I explained, the three elemental dinosaurs combined, and became a long aquatic dragon made entirely of water (2800/2600). It roared ferociously as it prepared for battle.

"So what?" Valkorcan said arrogantly.

"There's one more thing: when the Water Dragon is summoned, all of my enemy's Fire Attribute and Pyro-Type monsters lose _all_ of their Attack Points. So it's time for your Burning Hellcat to cool off," I explained further. With that, the Water Dragon blasted a stream of water at Valkorcan's demon, drenching it entirely. The Burning Hellcat didn't die, but large clouds of steam came off of it as its Attack Points fell to 0.

"And that was just his special ability. Now he'll destroy you!" I said.

"No! You can't! No one can defeat the powers of the Dark Emperor!" Valkorcan said in shock.

"I believe I just did. Time for you to pay for your crimes, Valkorcan. Water Dragon, destroy him!" I commanded. The sea serpent blasted more water at the Burning Hellcat, this time destroying it and reducing the goat demon's Life Points to 0. It was then that the strangest part of the duel happened.

"Demetrios, look!" Lily said. I saw it too: the Seal of Satan shrunk around Valkorcan, much like the Seal of Orichalcos, but instead of firing a great stream of green light into the sky, the shrunken ring turned into a portal…to hell itself!

"What on earth is that?" Lily said in shock as she heard the screams of tormented souls emanate from the vortex. I didn't answer as I saw the goat demon getting pulled _into_ the vortex! I ran toward it.

"Demetrios, what are you doing?" Lily shouted to me. I quickly fished my way through Valkorcan's Deck, and just in time pulled out the Black Tyranno card.

"Come to papa!" I said, looking at my new card. Just then, Valkorcan grabbed my arm!

"If I go to hell, I'm taking you with me!" he roared.

"Not if I can help it," I said defiantly, unsheathing the sword Shandara gave me. I stabbed the goat demon in the arm with it, and he released me. Then he got pulled into the portal, never to be seen again.

"I'm glad that's over with," Lily said while sighing with relief.

"You said it. I did not like that Seal of Satan card one bit. I had to do everything I could just to stay ahead in the game," I said. Lily came up to me and hugged me affectionately.

"I'm so glad you're all right," she said.

"Don't worry about it. I'll protect you no matter what," I assured her. "But do you know the name 'Thatehos'?"

"I've heard it a lot in my studies, but there's no information about him. I think that's why he's so well-known, because he's so obscure," she explained.

"There you are!" said a thankfully familiar voice. We looked to our right, and Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Téa approached us.

"How did you find us?" I asked.

"Well, the sounds from that duel were pretty loud," Joey said.

"And thanks to the Millennium Puzzle, I sensed there was dark magic at work here," Yugi added.

"So what happened to that Valkorcan guy?" Téa asked.

"I think it's safe to say he's not on this planet anymore," I answered. I remembered Lily telling me that hell is actually another planet rather than the interior of the Earth.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked.

"Well, that Seal of Satan thing sucked him up into hell," I clarified.

"Hell? Sheesh, just when the Shadow Realm wasn't bad enough," Tristan said.

"So how do we find this guy now?" Joey asked.

"How about we -" Téa began, but she was cut off when she saw something in the sky above.

"What do you see?" Lily asked.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look very friendly," Téa said nervously. The flying thing came down toward us with the speed of a determined predator. As it got closer, we could see that it was some kind of giant lizard with wings!

"What the hell is that?" Joey asked, utterly shocked by the creature. It looked at Téa hungrily.

"A lovely statue you'll make for my master's collection," he said, and his large reptilian eyes glowed with an unnatural light, which he aimed at Téa as he descended!

"Not if I can help it!" Yugi said, getting in front of her. The Millennium Puzzle glowed with golden light, which reflected the reptile's ocular ability back at him. The creature got stunned and fell to the ground.

"Maybe we can make _him_ talk," Tristan suggested.

"But we'll have to do something about that ability of his," I said.

"I'm on it. I'll take the left," Joey said.

"I got the right," I said.

"I'll keep his arms down," Tristan said. He did just that, while Joey and I held the creature's eyelids, keeping them closed.

"Where is your master?" I asked. But the animal just writhed about like a lizard caught by a predator. Unfortunately, Joey, Tristan, and I didn't take the creature's tail into account, because it swung around dangerously. Before I could ask the question again, the tail whipped Joey's leg with malicious strength! He cried out in pain, and then Tristan and I lost our grip. When the creature opened his eyes again, he gasped as he saw me.

"What? How can you be alive? Valkorcan can't be beat!" he said.

"Valkorcan is dead. Now where is your master, Thatehos?" I asked again.

"You will never find him, knight! My master will destroy this world!" he bragged. With that, he flew away.

"That didn't go too well," Joey said, and groaned about the pain in his leg.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked.

"I'm fine. This isn't the first time that's happened to me," he said, standing up to make sure his leg wasn't broken.

"So who's this Thatehos guy?" Tristan asked.

"Apparently he's the guy responsible for all of this," I answered. "Unfortunately, there's no record of him, so we don't know for sure who he really is."

"Then how do we find him?" Yugi asked.

"Good question," Lily said. Just then, we heard frightened screams from Domino.

"What was that?" Yugi asked. We ran as fast as we could back to the city, and saw a grizzly sight indeed. Two people were brutally murdered.

"Who could have done this?" Téa asked. Just then, we heard an insane clown-like laugh.

"If you want to find me, meet me at the dragon," the culprit said, and laughed again before disappearing.

"At the dragon? What does that mean?" Lily asked.

"I think he means the statue of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon at Kaiba Land," Yugi said.

"We'd better find this maniac before he kills any more innocent people," I said. The six of us chased after him, hoping to find out more of Thatehos's evil plan.

1 "Force!"


	6. Chapter 6

_This chapter can be a lot of fun if you know German. :) If you don't, don't worry; there are translations at the bottom._

Chapter VI

Der Ermordenclown

(English Translation: "The Murdering Clown")

Back at Thatehos's dark temple, the unholy arch-mage was giving a sermon to eight of his followers. As part of their apparel, Thatehos wore a dragon's skull (minus the mandible) on his head, whilst his followers wore red robes with a picture of a black sunrise on the chest.

"Soon, my children, we shall bring the unholy legions of Pandemonium to the Earth and crush our enemies easily," Thatehos proclaimed.

"All power to the Dark Emperor," his followers chanted in unison.

"But we have a disruptor in our midst. The knight and the sorceress seek to undo our plans. They have killed three of our brethren already. But nothing can withstand the power of the Dark Emperor," he continued.

"They are our enemies and shall fall," the cultists agreed.

"We shall kill them both, and bring Darkness to the Earth," Thatehos proclaimed.

"Hail! Hail! Hail!" the cultists concluded. Suddenly, the sermon was interrupted as Dijumia flew in as fast as he could.

"Master! Master!" he said in a panicked voice.

"Insolent reptile!" Thatehos snarled, and pointed his staff at the gargoyle. The ruby orb glowed brightly, and suddenly Dijumia stopped where he was and fell to the ground, paralyzed with pain.

"I told you to _never_ interrupt me when I'm giving a sermon!" the arch-mage said angrily.

"But…Master…Val…Valkorcan…has been…defeated!" Dijumia said while struggling to breathe. With this revelation, Thatehos stopped his spell and gasped with shock. Dijumia coughed and started breathing deeply.

"Are you serious?" he said.

"Very serious, my Lord," said the gargoyle.

"Demetrios must be more resourceful than I thought if he managed to destroy the Seal of Satan. Just a lucky break, is all. One of you is going to have to go after him and put an end to his mockery - and his life," the arch-mage said.

"I'll go after that girl who's always with him. We'll see how well he does without his cheerleader," said one of the cultists in a husky Russian voice.

"The girl makes a nice target, but it's Demetrios _I'm_ after. He'll pay dearly for his betrayal," said a lovely female voice.

"Who do you think you are, knave? I shall execute the scum Demetrios. I'll show him who has all the power," someone with a snobbish Italian voice objected.

"Enough!" Thatehos said, and everyone obeyed.

"I don't care _who_ kills them, as long as they die, slowly and painfully," Thatehos said.

"I say, has anyone seen Maledict anywhere?" the Italian man asked.

"He'd better not kill Demetrios! I want his blood on _my_ hands," the girl said angrily.

Meanwhile, the six of us arrived at Kaiba Land, underneath one of the statues of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. We looked around cautiously for the murderer.

"Do you think he led us into a trap?" Téa asked.

"Doubtful. This doesn't look like the kind of place for a trap," Lily said, still looking around. Just then, we heard the most insane laughter.

"Where's that coming from?" Joey asked.

"Hallo, Kanonenfutter. Maledict ist der Name, Mord ist das Spiel1," said the unseen laugher, who then jumped down onto the head of the Blue-Eyes statue. The clothes he wore were proof enough of his insanity. Even though this was clearly the 21st Century, he was dressed very much like the Doppelsöldner of the German kingdoms of the Renaissance: a ripped-up doublet with undershirts of other colors poking through the tears, multicolored pantyhose, a leather jerkin, a hat with a wide brim decorated with a pair of ostrich feathers, and broad flat shoes. But his face was truly disturbing. His dark green eyes were completely glazed over, giving him the look of a wild animal. And his smile. None of us could tell if he was smiling happily or sinisterly.

"Are you the one who murdered those people back there?" I asked him.

"I most certainly did, und here's your proof," he said. His voice was more like that of a circus clown rather than a battle-hardened mercenary. He withdrew two gladii from his belt and showed them to us, their blades still wet with blood.

"But why? What did those people ever do to you?" Téa asked.

"Your 'life is good' spiels von't vork on me. Nothing excites me more than the thrill of the hunt. Oh vait, there is: the thrill of _killing_ my prey," he said with a sadistic chuckle.

"So it's destruction for the sake of destruction? That's insane," Yugi said.

"Actually, it isn't. There's nothing I enjoy more than vhen I plunge my blades into a mortal body und feel their blood dripping down the blades. Their deaths give me life," Maledict said, and laughed in a way that combined sadism and pride.

"Whoa! With a goal like that, 'insane' is an understatement," Joey said.

"Und vhat are you going to do about it, mittelmäßigkeit2?" the murderer taunted. Joey didn't know German, but he did know when he was being insulted.

"Ooh, you're going to regret that! If you want to duel any of us, I'll fight you!" Joey said.

"Joey, what are you thinking? He's a dangerous criminal!" Tristan advised.

"I don't care; if anyone's going to bring an end to his murders, it's going to be me," Joey said confidently.

"Be reasonable," I added.

"I am. This guy's going down," he assured us.

"Vell, I vas hoping to duel one of you two," he said, pointing to me and Lily. "But I like your guts - especially vhen I'll rip them out!"

"Don't count on it, Maledict. Get your game on!" Joey said, activating his Duel Disk.

"I certainly vill, und it vill be your last!" said Maledict, activating his own, and it was the same kind that the other cultists used!

"He's one of Thatehos's cultists! Joey, be careful! He could have one of those Seal cards!" Lily warned.

"Don't worry; I'll be sure to defeat him before he gets the chance to use it," he said.

"Funny, I vas just thinking the same thing, except that I'll defeat you so quickly I von't need to use it," Maledict said condescendingly as their Life Points set to 8,000.

"I'll let my cards do the talking," Joey said, drawing his first hand. He saw that it contained Trap Hole, Maximum Six (1900/1600), Axe Raider (1700/1150), Giant Trunade, and Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200).

I got to beat this guy quickly before he plays one of those Seal cards, so…

"I summon Axe Raider in Attack Mode, and I lay one card facedown," he said.

"Is that all? Vell, I summon Red Archery Girl in Defense Mode -" Maledict began.

"Not so fast; I activate Trap Hole! Since your mermaid has 1400 Attack Points, she's automatically destroyed," Joey explained as the Trap Card activated. With that, the Red Archery Girl disappeared from the field as soon as she appeared on it.

"And now, Axe Raider can attack your Life Points directly!" The axe-wielding warrior leapt into the air and came down swiftly on Maledict, cutting through him with his weapon and reducing the murderer's Life Points to 6300.

"Gerade ein glücklicher Bruch. Jetzt rufe ich Crass Clown im Verteidigung-Modus zusammen, und eine Schriftbild nach untenkarte von meinen Selbst außerdem3," Maledict said in German, and the evil clown appeared, kneeling and holding his scythe in a defensive position.

"Uh, want to run that by me again?" Joey asked.

"No vonder you only got the Bronze at Battle City," Maledict said with a sneer.

"Yeah? Well I got the Silver at Duelist Kingdom, and I'm about to show you why. I summon Swordsman of Landstar in Defense Mode for backup, and now I'll attack that clown of yours with Axe Raider," Joey said. The warrior rushed forward for another attack.

"Das ist, was _Sie_ denken, denn ich habe eine Blockierkarte von meinen Selbst: Verneinen Sie Angriff!4" Maledict said, and Axe Raider's attack was completely stopped.

"Now for the fun part: by svitching Crass Clown from Defense to Attack Position, I can send your Axe Raider back to your hand, und I can also destroy your little imp!" he continued, and the clown cut Swordsman of Landstar in half. Thankfully, it was in Defense Mode.

"Und der Spaß fährt fort; Ich aktiviere die Bann-Karte, Polymerisierung. Indem ich Crass Clown auf dem Feld mit Traumclown von meiner Hand kombiniere, kann ich… Bickuribox verursachen!5" he said. He combined the two monsters, and created a giant demonic jack-in-the-box (2300/2000).

"Where have we seen that monster before?" Téa asked in a matter-of-factly voice.

"I remember Pegasus having one. You're not suggesting that Maledict has the Toon Monsters, are you?" Yugi asked.

"That's a scary thought," I said, not liking the idea of a crazy man having equally crazy Duel Monsters.

"Bickuribox, attack Joey directly!" Maledict said, and the demon pulled a scythe out of its mouth. Using the box it sprang out of, Bickuribox jumped forward and sliced through Joey, reducing his Life Points to 5700.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Joey said as he drew a card from his Deck. He silently grinned as he saw that it was Kunai with Chain. "Since Axe Raider is back in my hand, I think I'll summon him up again, and throw down a facedown."

"Sie _sollten_ erschrocken werden, weil ich zwei Bann-Karten in einer Reihe spiele: zuerst zahlen Krypta des Kaisers und dann ich Leben-Punkte tausend, um... Karikatur-Welt zu aktivieren!6" he said. First, a giant and royal-looking tomb appeared behind Maledict, and in front of him a large book with a picture of a cartoony dragon on the front and an equally cartoony mermaid on the back appeared as Maledict's Life Points fell to 5300. Upon seeing this, Yugi gasped with shock.

"Oh no, he _does_ have it," Yugi said.

"Joey doesn't stand a chance against those monsters," Lily said with worry.

"Hang in there!" Yugi said.

"Relax, Yug. You beat Pegasus's Toon monsters; let's see how good _I_ do," Joey assured him.

"If you can survive for that long. Bickuribox, attack Joey again!" Maledict said, and the demon jumped forward to secure the kill.

"Not this time; I activate Kunai with Chain!" Joey said confidently. The Axe Raider suddenly got a sharp blade on a long chain and threw it at Bickuribox's spring, holding it where it was.

"And there's more: now that your crap-in-the-box has been forced into Defense Mode, and my Axe Raider gets 500 more Attack Points, Jack goes back into the box - for good," Joey explained. True to what he said, Axe Raider's Attack Points became 2200, and he used his axe to cut up Bickuribox, destroying it.

"And now that it's my turn again, I sacrifice Axe Raider for Maximum Six," he continued. A six-armed warrior appeared in place of the Axe Raider.

"Now here's a question for you, Maledict: Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?" he said in his best Clint Eastwood voice. The rest of us sweat-dropped. Moon Shadow snorted7.

"When I roll this die, Maximum Six gets more Attack Points by 200 times whichever number the die lands on. Here we go," he explained further. He produced a die from his pocket and rolled it along the ground. It landed on…4!

"4, eh? Well, 800 more Attack Points will do," he said, and his monster's Attack Points rose to 2700. "Now attack his Life Points directly!" Maximum Six charged forward and pummeled Maledict with all six of his fists, reducing his Life Points to 2600.

"All right! Maybe we don't have to worry about Maledict summoning any Toon Monsters after all," Yugi said.

"He learned from the best," Tristan said.

"Yeah right," Téa whispered.

"Zählen Sie nicht auf es. Ich aktiviere Dian Keton der Heilung-Meister, der mir zurück Leben-Punkte tausend gibt, und jetzt zahle ich zwei tausend von ihnen, um…den Blau-Augen Karikatur-Drachen zusammenzurufen!8" Maledict said. Sure enough, as his Life Points went down to 1600, a short, stocky cartoon version of the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared, making a bunch of childish roars as it prepared for battle.

"You've got to be kidding me. That's Kaiba's most hated monster," Tristan said.

"Who would have thought a criminal like Maledict would have it as well?" Yugi said.

"That guy works for Thatehos, so who knows what kind of cards that guy gave him?" I said.

It was interesting that Tristan should mention Seto Kaiba, because one of the night security guards called him up on his cell phone.

"What is it?" he said.

"Mr. Kaiba, there's an intruder on Kaiba Land grounds," he said.

"Did you get a description?" Seto asked.

"Well, some of them are Yugi Moto and company," he said.

"What else is new?" Seto asked.

"And I think the other one is that Maledict guy, that mass murderer whose all over the news in Europe, and it would appear that they're having a duel," the guard said in a panicky voice. At this, Seto was shocked and hung up.

Those geeks being on my property at this hour is one thing, but a lowlife criminal is intolerable! he thought as he got back in the Blue-Eyes Jet. He flew back to Domino as fast as possible.

"Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, destroy Maximum Six, but not before I pay 500 Life Points," Maledict said. His Life Points dropped to 1100, and the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon fired a stream of white lightning, easily destroying Joey's monster and reducing his Life Points to 5400.

"I'm not done yet," he said, and drew another card from his Deck. This time he got…Hyper Refresh. Thank you, Heart of the Cards, he thought.

"I lay one card facedown and end my turn," he said.

"Joey, are you crazy? That thing will eat you alive!" I warned him.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," he assured us.

"I've heard that before," Tristan said.

"Dieses ist einfacher als I Gedanke. Zuerst zahle ich tausend weitere Leben-Punkte, um Karikatur zusammengerufenen Schädel im Angriff Modus zusammenzurufen, dann aktiviere ich Dringlichkeitsbestimmungen und opfere Krypta des Kaisers, um Punkte tausend wiederzugewinnen Leben-, und jetzt spiele ich ein sehr anderes Feld-Bann-Karte... Märchenland!9" Maledict said. When his Life Points went down to 100, a cartoon version of Summoned Skull (2500/1200) appeared on the field next to the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, and then the mausoleum disappeared, only to be replaced by an even stranger setting: a bunch of trees that would look like skyscrapers to a girl of only three inches in height and mushrooms that appeared to be the size of garbage trucks.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Joey asked.

"Tell me, Wheeler, are you familiar with the story 'Alice in Vonderland'? I thought not. It is the story of a little girl named Alice, who ends up in a magical land vhere things are not as they should be. Und that illogic applies to this duel as vell: my Toon Monsters get 500 Attack Points and 400 less Defense Points, more than enough to destroy you! Callooh, Callay!" Maledict explained. True to his explanation, the Toon Summon Skull's stats became 3000/800 and the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon's became 3500/2100! However, Joey looked confident.

"Sie schrecken nicht, wie zurück? Ich mag den. Zu schlecht speichert er Sie nicht! Karikatur zusammengerufener Schädel, Blau-Augen Karikatur-Drache, nehmen seine Leben-Punkte direkt in Angriff und beenden dieses Duell! Alles für Deutschland!10" Maledict shouted at the top of his lungs. At this point, he was starting to sound less like a circus clown and more like a truly insane sociopath. His Life Points fell back down to 100, and both of his Toon Monsters blasted Joey with great streams of electricity, causing a blinding explosion. The smoke quickly cleared.

"Is it over?" Yugi asked worriedly.

"It better not be!" I said. When we could see Joey again…he was still standing!

"Vhat? How can this be? You're supposed to be dead! Vhy the fucking hell are your Life Points 4300?" Maledict screamed.

"Thanks to my Quick Play Spell, Hyper Refresh. It doubled my Life Points before your lousy cartoons could make me well done, so I still have enough energy to kick your creepy insane ass," Joey said. "And seeing that it is now my turn…" he said as he drew a card from his Deck again. He got Pot of Greed.

"Excellent! Thanks to Pot of Greed, I get two more cards to kick your ass with," he said. Upon activating it, he did just that, and got Star Blaster and Scapegoat.

"I hope you like prison food, Maledict, because when I'm through with you, that's all you'll be eating for a while," Joey began. "I activate another Quick Play Spell, Scapegoat, and here's one more: Giant Trunade. Now your Spell and Trap Cards on the field go back to your hand." Four small sheep (0/0) appeared on the field, and suddenly, Wonderland and Toon World returned to Maledict's hand, and with that, his Toon Monsters were undone. They made exaggerated cartoon-like death animations, and then died. The Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon disappeared into the ethereal realm, while Toon Summoned Skull melted and was reduced to a liquid pile of the ink and paint that all cartoon characters are born from.

"Wie trauen Sie eine Spotterei vom hohen Priester Thatehos bilden! Es gibt mehr als der One-way, zum eines guten Lachens zu erhalten. Das ist, warum ich…die Dichtung von Orichalcos aktiviere!11" he said, activating the evil Spell Card. The Orichalcos Ring appeared above them and descended to surround them, and then the six-pointed star appeared within, trapping them inside.

"Not again," I said.

"Man, this guy doesn't know when to quit," Tristan said.

"The Orichalcos shall change everything: now only one of us vill live!" Maledict said as the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead and his dark green eyes turned blood red.

"Bring it," Joey said bravely.

"Durch die Feuer der Hölle, soll ich! Ich aktiviere eine andere Bann-Karte, Ojamagic, also habe ich jetzt die drei Ojama Brüder in meiner Hand, und ich rufe einen von ihnen im Verteidigung-Modus jetzt zusammen: Ojama Schwarzes12," he said. A small black imp with a large head and nose (0/1000) appeared on the field with its arms crossed defensively, and its eyes glowed red and it got the Orichalcos symbol on its forehead as well, even though its Attack Points only went up to 500.

"Let's see how that little freak stands up to whoever I'm about to draw," Joey said, and drew another card. He got…Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)! All right, my best card! But how to get him out… he thought. "I'll just lay a facedown card for now."

"Vhat's the matter? Can't summon any good monsters? Vell too bad, because your defense is going down, und then you. I summon Ojama Green as vell, und now that I svitch Ojama Black to Attack Mode, they'll destroy two of your sheep!" A green frog-like imp (0/1000) appeared as well, and underwent the same change as its brother. Both imps jumped forward and butted heads with the Sheep Tokens, destroying them.

This is getting serious, Joey thought. If I don't act fast, I'll be killed. Just then, he thought of Mai Valentine, the beautiful female duelist. He specifically remembered how he risked his life - even if it meant getting burned alive by the divine fires of the Winged Dragon of Ra - to save her from Marik's dark magic.

Hey, that's right. I braved this kind of stuff before; this should be no different. But it feels more evil than even Marik. I don't care; I have to beat this guy…for Mai, he thought. He drew another card, and got…Release Restraint.

Now I just need the right cards to use it with, he thought.

"I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn," he said.

"Ist alles das? Brunnen dann, aktiviere ich meine zweite Polymerisierung, und indem ich die zwei Ojama Brüder auf dem Feld mit Ojama Gelb in meiner Hand fixiere, kann ich…Ojama König zusammenrufen!13" Maledict said. The three imps combined into a most hideous giant. It had a grey body that appeared to mostly be a head, and scrawny arms and short legs, a gigantic nose, eyes on the ends of stalks like a snail, and underwear on its head beneath a tiny crown (0/3000). Because of the dark magic of the Orichalcos, the eyes in its stalks turned red, and it got the Orichalcos symbol on its forehead, as well as 500 Attack Points.

"You know vhat makes him a King? He can take over three of your Monster Card Zones so you can't summon any more monsters. Good luck vinning now, Vheeler," the murderer explained further. Joey suddenly noticed red spots on his Duel Disk, indicating that they were now occupied.

"That's not going to stop me," Joey retorted. He drew another card, and got…Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600).

"Step 1 of my plan is ready, so say 'hello' to Gearfried the Iron Knight," said Joey, and the iron-clad warrior appeared on the field, ready for battle. "Now for Step 2: I activate the Spell Card called Release Restraint. What it does is remove Gearfried's armor and transforms him into…Gearfried the Swordmaster!" With that, the knight's armor glowed white, and exploded from the wearer's body. In his place stood a great muscular warrior (2600/2200), ready for battle. "And now to initiate Step 3: I activate Star Blaster. By sacrificing 1 monster on my side of the field, I can roll a die and add the result to the sacrificed monster's level and summon any monster I want. And the sacrifice will be the last scapegoat. Lady Luck, don't fail me now," he explained further. As he activated it, a creature that was half of the helpful angel of Graceful Dice and the other half being the mischievous imp of Skull Dice appeared above the field and rolled its die. Come on, six… Joey thought. The die stopped rolling, and it was…six!

"Talk about good luck! Now instead of a lamb, I get Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" he said. The goat disappeared and the great dark dragon appeared in its place.

"Big deal; I have one of those," I said. Yugi, Tristan, Téa, and even Lily flashed me a dirty look.

"What?" I asked.

"Gutes Glück mit dem. Er ist noch nicht genug stark, Rüstung des Ojama Königs einzudringen14," Maledict retorted.

I don't know what he just said, but I still don't have the strength to get through 3000 Defense Points, Joey thought.

"However, I can attack _you_. I activate a lovely Spell Card called Meteor of Destruction!" he said. A giant meteorite appeared in the sky and struck Joey head on, reducing his Life Points to 3300.

"Hey, didn't Joey use that card in Battle City?" Tristan asked.

"Only because Marik gave it to him," Téa reminded him.

"Don't remind me," Yugi said. Joey hoped against hope that his next card would be a good one, and it was…Claw of Helmos!

Hey, this is the card from my dream! No time to reminisce; if I got this card from a dream, I think now would be a good time to _play_ it, he thought.

"Looks like your Ojama King has a little drawback. I summon Claw of Helmos!" he declared. The red dragon appeared on the field and roared menacingly at Maledict. The murderer looked just as shocked as when Joey destroyed Toon World a few turns ago, only this time he also looked like he was afraid.

"Was? Wie einen Stapel von Scheiße tut, wie Sie einen der legendären Drachen? haben!15"

"Maybe this will set you straight. Hey Yug, do you think Helmos has the same ability as Timaeus?" Joey asked.

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot," Yugi answered.

"All right, then. Helmos, combine with the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" he ordered. The two dragons combined, and became…a terrifying sword! The hilt resembled the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's head, and from that sprung a large curved black blade.

"Huh? I was kind of expecting a super-cool monster," Joey said, almost disappointed.

"No, wait. Gearfried is a _sword_master, right? So see what happens when he holds _that_ sword," Yugi said.

"Oh, yeah," Joey said. "Gearfried, arm yourself up and kick Maledict's ass!" The warrior took hold of his new weapon, and his Attack Points rose up to 3600! Joey whistled with amazement when he saw the improvement.

"And that's not the only beauty part: when Gearfried the Swordmaster has an Equip Spell Card put on him, a monster on your side of the field gets destroyed, so goodbye Ojama King!" he said. The giant freak suddenly died an exagerrated cartoony death, and Maledict was left defenseless.

"Nein! Wartezeit!16" Maledict said in panic.

"Gearfried, book him!" Joey said. The massive warrior charged with the ferocity of a lion on the hunt, and with his new sword, tore through Maledict's remaining Life Points, reducing them to 0.

"That's game!" Joey said proudly. The Orichalcos Ring began to shrink around Maledict.

"Nein, Meister! Er ist zu früh! Lassen Sie mich seine Eingeweide heraus zerreißen!17" Maledict screamed, more panicky than before. He unsheathed his gladii and ran to Joey, but the magic of the Orichalcos kept pushing him back. The green light shot into a vortex in the sky and ripped Maledict's soul out of his body.

"NEIN!18" he screamed again. The spell disappeared, and Maledict's body collapsed into a limp heap.

"I'm glad that's over with," Joey said, breathing many sighs of relief.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked.

"Never better," he answered.

"Though we still didn't find out where Thatehos is," Lily said.

"And what the Legendary Dragons have to do with us," I added.

"Shouldn't you kids be in bed?" said a voice nearby. We turned, and saw Seto Kaiba himself.

"I'm eighteen, smart guy," I whispered, not wishing to insult the President of Kaiba Corp.

"What are you doing here, rich boy?" Joey asked.

"I think the bigger question is what are _you_ doing here. Every time something supernatural happens, you geeks are involved," he said. He noted Lily and me. "And I see it's an open club."

"How do you know about what's going on?" Yugi asked.

"My brother gets kidnapped, I duel a knight who has satanic powers, and during said duel I used a card I've never seen before," Seto answered, showing us the card he mentioned.

"What's that one called?" Joey asked.

"Apparently its name is Fang of Critias," Seto answered again.

"This seems very strange indeed. I got a card I've never seen before either. This one's mine, the Eye of Timaeus," Yugi said, showing his.

"I just played the Claw of Helmos," Joey said, showing his. Suddenly, I got a tremendous headache, so strong I fell to my knees!

"Demetrios, what's wrong?" Lily asked at once. However, I couldn't hear her as my mind's eye suddenly became filled with strange visions.

First, I saw a young sorcerer from the ancient and forgotten land of Lemuria, maybe seven or eight years old, showing off spells with excellent proficiency, much to everyone's amazement. But as time went by, the boy in the vision became more violent and sinister in his search for more power. Thus, when he was eighteen years old, I saw that he sold his soul to Satan himself.

"Do you reject the false gods and swear your undying loyalty unto me?" said the Dark Emperor in the vision.

"I…I do," said the boy.

"Excellent. I, Satan, Emperor of Darkness, gladly welcome you to my grand dark forces…Thatehos," said Satan. I gasped when I heard the name.

"I am obliged. The Earth shall fall before our might!" the young Thatehos declared. What I saw then was a chaos of mixed images. I saw Thatehos commit all kinds of atrocities, even the enslaving of the peoples of Lemuria by an unknown race! But the vision that came next was most befuddling. I saw a great army of Atlantis. At the front was a beautiful young sorceress that…looked just like Lily! Next to her, riding a majestic black stallion, was a noble paladin…that looked like me! And riding behind me were obviously my three greatest captains. Strangely enough, they respectively looked like Yugi, Joey, and Seto! Even stranger was that the Yugi-lookalike's armor was green, "Past Seto's" was dark blue, and "Past Joey's" was red. Wait, those matched the scales of the Legendary Dragons!

"We must never let up; Thatehos seeks to destroy all that we hold dear. Lemuria may have fallen, but Atlantis will live on!" my past self declared.

"We are with you to the death, General," said "Past Yugi". The four knights unsheathed their swords and raised them as one. Just then, the vision ended.

"Demetrios, are you all right?" Lily asked again. I could hear her voice clearly this time.

"I don't know," I answered.

"What happened?" Yugi asked.

"I…think I saw a vision of the past," I said.

"Ishizu didn't tell me she had family here," Seto said. Joey flashed gave him a dirty look.

"Now I know who Thatehos is," I said.

"Yeah, who is this guy? Where did he come from?" Yugi asked.

Above the Domino City skyline, the mysterious angel Shandara was looking down from one of the skyscrapers.

"Wonderful, Sir Knight. You are beginning to understand your role in this conflict. I am most pleased," she said, and disappeared into the night.

1 "Hello, cannon fodder. Maledict is the name, murder is the game"

2 "Mediocrity"

3 "Just a lucky break. Now I summon Crass Clown in Defense Mode, and a facedown card of my own as well"

4 "That's what _you_ think, for I have a Trap Card of my own: Negate Attack!"

5 "And the fun continues; I activate the Spell Card, Polymerization. By combining Crass Clown on the field with Dream Clown from my hand, I can create…Bickuribox!"

6 "You _should_ be scared, because I play two Spell Cards in a row: first, Mausoleum of the Emperor, and then I pay 1000 Life Points to activate…Toon World!"

7 Translated as: "He's got to be kidding!"

8 "Don't count on it. I activate Dian Keto the Cure Master, which gives me back 1000 Life Points, and now I'll pay 2000 of them to summon…the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!"

9 "This will be easier than I thought. First, I pay 1000 more Life Points to summon Toon Summoned Skull in Attack Mode, then I activate Emergency Provisions and sacrifice Mausoleum of the Emperor to regain 1000 Life Points, and now I'll play a very different Field Spell Card…Wonderland!"

10 "You're not flinching, eh? I like that. Too bad it won't save you! Toon Summoned Skull, Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, attack his Life Points directly and end this duel! Everything for Germany!"

11 "How dare you make a mockery of High Priest Thatehos! There is more than one way to get a good laugh. That's why I activate…the Seal of Orichalcos!"

12 "By the fires of Hell, I shall! I activate another Spell Card, Ojamagic, so I now have the three Ojama Brothers in my hand, and I'll summon one of them in Defense Mode now: Ojama Black"

13 "Is that all? Well then, I activate my second Polymerization, and by fusing the two Ojama Brothers on the field with Ojama Yellow in my hand, I can summon…Ojama King!"

14 "Good luck with that. He's still not strong enough to penetrate Ojama King's armor"

15 "What? How does a pile of shit like you have one of the Legendary Dragons?"

16 "No! Wait!"

17 "No, Master! It's too early! Let me rip his guts out!"

18 "NO!"


	7. Chapter 7

_Much to my own relief, I was able to post this using my mom's laptop, as my own computer is currently being worked on. Don't worry, my fellow readers. :) As Shakespeare once said, "The show must go on."_

Chapter VII

Black Magic

So, what have we found out so far?" Téa asked as we joined up at Solomon's game shop to plan our next strategy.

"Besides the evil cult that wants to kill us all?" Joey jokingly asked.

"Well, it would seem that Thatehos tried to destroy Atlantis, and believe it or not, Lily and I were there," I said, having already explained the vision I had when Yugi, Joey, and Seto showed the Legendary Dragon cards to each other.

"So, past lives?" Yugi asked.

"Must be. It can't just be a coincidence. Not to mention my dad rarely, if ever, mentioned anything about our family history," I said.

"So, did Thatehos come back to kill you two for revenge?" Tristan asked.

"Maybe. Either that or Lily and I are descended from the knight and sorceress I saw in my vision," I reasoned.

"This is getting stupid, I'm out of here," Seto said.

"Where do you think you're going, rich boy? We have to figure out how to get rid of this Thatehos guy," Joey said.

"I have to find Mokuba. Whatever that guy's name is, he'll regret messing with my family," Seto said bravely.

"You can't just rush in and beat these guys; they have those Seal cards, and one of them almost killed me!" I said.

"Do what you kids want; I'm going to rescue my brother," he said, and left.

"Well, that didn't go too well," I said.

"Well, it is understandable, since he wants to rescue his brother," Téa said.

"Then again, if he beats that guy he mentioned, it could cripple Thatehos's forces," I reasoned.

"He won't, and neither will any of you beat me," said a mysterious and rough voice.

"Not this again," Tristan said.

"It better not be Maledict again," Joey agreed.

"Out here, stupids," the voice said. We looked outside cautiously, and saw the speaker. It was a man in his forties, wearing a blood red robe decorated with magic symbols, and in his right hand was a bronze staff, topped with the head of Cerberus, the three-headed Rottweiler who guarded the gates of hell. He was also riding a very dark animal indeed: a pitch-black horse with fire for hair. My own mount shied away from it.

"Are you Thatehos?" I asked, almost nervous about meeting the very sorcerer who desired me and Lily dead.

"Of course not; I am his acolyte, Thanatos of Siberia. My master has instructed me to kill one of you," he explained, dismounting the nightmarish horse.

"I'll duel you, if that's what you want. I'll defeat Thatehos one way or another," I said.

"No, Demetrios. I will," Lily said, preparing her Duel Disk and Deck.

"Lily, you can't. Who knows which of the Seal cards that guy has?" I said.

"I have to. He's a warlock; who better to fight him than a sorceress?" she said. "And besides, like you said, if another one goes down, it could cripple Thatehos's forces."

"Overconfident, are we? I wouldn't start celebrating so soon, little babushka1," Thanatos said.

"We'll see who's off their rocker when I defeat you," Lily said confidently.

"Lily, please be careful," I whispered.

"Let's duel!" the two spellcasters said simultaneously as their Life Points set at 8000.

"I'll begin the battle, by summoning Hannibal Necromancer in Attack Mode. And because of that, I can put a Spell Counter on him," Thanatos explained. True to what he said, the necromancer's (1400/1800) demonic hands glowed with unholy magic. "I'll also lay a card facedown and end my turn."

Good. He hasn't played either of the Seal cards yet, so the advantage is mine, Lily thought, and looked at her hand. She drew Knight's Title, Etoile Cyber (1200/1600), Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700), Dark Witch (1800/1700), and Mirror Force.

"I summon a Spellcaster of my own: Skilled Dark Magician in Attack Mode, and I'll lay two cards facedown. Skilled Dark Magician, destroy his Hannibal Necromancer and show him what happened to Graveshade!" Lily said. The Skilled Dark Magician fired a sphere of dark energy at his adversary.

"Not so fast! I activate Negate Attack!" Thanatos said. Lily's attack didn't go through!

"Now that it's my turn again, I shall activate a Spell Card, the Seal of Orichalcos," he said. He did just as the other users have done, and the unholy ring appeared in the sky and descended to the ground, surrounding Lily and Thanatos. Just as before, the six-pointed star appeared within the ring and glowed brightly.

"Oh no, not again," I said.

"Is that why you didn't want Lily to duel?" Téa asked.

"Yeah. She almost died at the hands of Graveshade; who knows what will happen here?" I said ruefully about the bad memory.

"You shouldn't count Lily out yet, Demetrios. She still has cards in her hand, and tricks up her sleeve," Yugi assured me.

"Well, maybe not sleeves," Joey added, considering that Lily was wearing a waist-baring tank top.

"As you may have seen, babushka, my monsters gain the power of the Orichalcos, as in 500 extra Attack Points," Thanatos explained. His black eyes turned blood red, and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead. The same happened to Hannibal Necromancer, as well as its Attack Points increasing to 1900.

"Now for the fun part. By removing Hannibal Necromancer's Spell Counter, I can destroy any Spell Card on the field, and I'll choose one of yours," he said further. The Hannibal Necromancer threw a sphere of necromantic power at one of Lily's facedown cards, destroying Knight's Title.

Great, now I can't summon Dark Magician Knight, Lily thought.

"Now he has his attack to use on you. Hannibal Necromancer, destroy Skilled Dark Magician!" Thanatos concluded, and the monster cast another destructive spell.

"I have a Trap Card of my own: Mirror Force! I was hoping to not use it so early, but I think now would be a good time," she said. The Hannibal Necromancer's attack was reflected back to the caster, who was killed in that same moment.

"Now that it's my turn again, two good things happen. First, I can summon the super-sexy Etoile Cyber in Attack Mode," she began as the beautiful woman graced the field. "Secondly, since you activated a Spell Card, my Skilled Dark Magician gets a Spell Counter of his own." As she explained, the bottom notch on the head of her spellcaster's staff glowed dark red with the evil energy of curses.

"Now for the _real_ fun part: both of my monsters can attack your Life Points directly. But here's something to make it more fun: when Etoile Cyber attacks you directly, she gets 500 more Attack Points," Lily explained further. The Skilled Dark Magician fired another magical wave, while Etoile Cyber performed a beautiful dance move and kicked Thanatos in the chest. Both attacks knocked him down to 4300 Life Points!

"All right, Lily!" I said triumphantly.

"So, Demetrios, what were you so worried about?" Tristan asked smugly. I was at a loss for words and sweat-dropped.

"You're not out of the woods yet, little babushka. I summon Rapid-Fire Magician in Attack Mode, and I activate another Spell Card, Nightmare's Steelcage!" Thanatos said. Suddenly, Skilled Dark Magician and Etoile Cyber were surrounded by a spiked dome cage, and a dark wizard, surrounded by a multitude of magical orbs (1600/1200) appeared.

"And not only does Rapid-Fire Magician gain the powers of the Orichalcos, but since Nightmare's Steelcage is a Normal Spell Card, he can use his magic to drain you of 400 Life Points." After the spellcaster's face changed and his Attack Points rose to 2100, he raised his two short staves and pointed them at Lily, and the many orbs sped toward her, reducing her Life Points to 7600.

"Don't worry, Lily; it's nothing you can't come back from," I said.

"Not only that, that was a double-edged sword you drew, Thanatos. You activated another Spell Card, so now my Skilled Dark Magician has _two_ Spell Counters," she added. The second notch on his staff glowed with the sickly bright green of poison and bone spells. "Not to mention you also can't attack for two turns."

"It matters not, for I shall incinerate you," he retorted.

"Let's see what the cards say," Lily said, and drew one from her Deck; she got Pot of Greed.

"Ah, good. I activate a third Spell Card: Pot of Greed. Now I can draw two more cards from my Deck." She did just that, and got Warrior Lady of the Wasteland (1100/1200) and Polymerization.

"I summon Warrior Lady of the Wasteland in Defense Mode, and lay one card facedown. Also, by activating Pot of Greed, my Skilled Dark Magician got his third and final Spell Counter. Thanks to that, I now sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician to Special Summon his master, the Dark Magician!" Many things happened in that turn. Another beautiful woman, wearing a black tattered cape, a wide-brimmed hat, a tight waist-baring shirt with a matching miniskirt and knee-high boots appeared on the field next to Etoile Cyber, and when the third notch on Skilled Dark Magician's staff glowed with the blood red of a summoning spell, he disappeared and was replaced with the legendary Dark Magician, Yugi Moto's signature card (2500/2100).

"Wow, I didn't know your girlfriend also had the Dark Magician," Yugi said.

"Well, she is a witch; she enjoys magic," I said.

"You think you're safe now? Next turn, all your monsters shall die, and then you will join them. That's why I summon Mythical Beast Cerberus in Attack Mode, and thanks to the powers of the Orichalcos, he gains 500 extra Attack Points," Thanatos said. A large blue wolf wearing magic armor (1400/1400) appeared on the field. It snarled ferociously as its eyes turned red and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on its forehead, and then its Attack Points became 1900.

"That's not all. I activate the Spell Card Graceful Charity," the warlock said.

"Since when are evil warlocks charitable?" Lily taunted.

"Philosophy should be the least of your worries now, babushka. By discarding two cards from my hand, I can draw three from my Deck. And thanks to my two monsters on the field, that's not the only good thing that happens. My Rapid-Fire Magician can drain you of life again, and my Mythical Beast Cerberus gets 500 _more_ Attack Points," Thanatos explained. As such, the beast's Attack Points went up to 2400, and Rapid-Fire Magician bombarded Lily with more magic, making her Life Points 7200.

"Thanatos sure is confident for someone who has 2900 less Life Points than Lily," Téa pointed out.

"Who knows what kind of propaganda Thatehos pumped into his followers?" Joey wondered.

"Let's see how confident he is now that it's my turn," Lily said, drawing a card from her Deck. She saw that she got Blade Skater (1400/1500).

"All right, now the real fun will begin. I activate Polymerization, with which I'll combine Etoile Cyber on the field with Blade Skater from my hand, and make…Cyber Blader," she continued. The two beautiful warriors combined, and became a beautiful ice skater with long dark blue hair and a virtual reality visor of the same color covering her eyes (2100/800).

"Not only is she very beautiful, she's also very deadly. Since you have two monsters on your side of the field, Cyber Blader's Attack Points multiply by two," she continued. Indeed, the ice skater's Attack Points became 4200. Then, Nightmare's Steelcage disappeared. However, Thanatos was smiling.

"What are you smiling about? My monsters are stronger than yours," Lily said.

"That's what you think. I activate the Spell Card Brain Control, which I'll use on your Dark Magician at the cost of 800 Life Points," he explained, activating the card. Suddenly, Dark Magician got a hypnotized look on his face and switched to Thanatos's side of the field.

"And now I'll sacrifice him to summon…the Dark Eradicator Warlock!" he said further while laughing evilly. The Dark Magician disappeared and was replaced by a spellcaster that looked like him, but the costume looked more like metal armor and wore a long violet cape (2500/2100). His eyes turned red and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead, and his Attack Points went up to 3000. With the new monster on the field, Cyber Blader's Attack Points went back down to 2100, but her tertiary ability inadvertently activated.

"This can't be good," Lily said.

"Yugi, you're an expert about the Dark Magician. What does Dark Eradicator Warlock do?" I asked him.

"Well, his Attack and Defense Points are the same as the Dark Magician, but when someone activates a Normal Spell Card, the opponent gets hit for 1000 Life Points," Yugi explained.

"Oh no…" I said, my confidence in Lily's victory suddenly disappearing. "But wait…" Thanatos suddenly noticed Mythical Beast Cerberus's Attack Points falling back down to 1900.

"What have you done to my monsters?" Thanatos demanded to know.

"That's easy: now that you have three monsters on your side of the field, my Cyber Blader can negate the powers of your Spells, Traps, and Effect Monsters," Lily said confidently, but then noticed something. "Wait, why are your monsters still 500 points stronger?"

"Your Cyber Blader may have that power, but the magic of the Orichalcos is too powerful to be destroyed by a mere ice skater. Dark Eradicator Warlock, destroy her!" Thanatos ordered. The warlock created an unstable mass of pure darkness above him, and he launched it at Cyber Blader, destroying her easily and cutting Lily's Life Points down to 6800.

"And that's not all. Not only do my monsters get their abilities back, I'll activate a Normal Spell Card: Stop Defense, with which I'll switch your Warrior Lady of the Wasteland to Attack Mode," the warlock explained further. The Warrior Lady did switch to Attack Mode, which was followed by two more effects.

"And now that a Normal Spell Card has been activated, my Mythical Beast Cerberus gains 500 more Attack Points!" he said, and the beast's Attack Points became 2400! "And last but not least, my Rapid-Fire Magician can now hit you for 400 Points of damage, thanks to my card!"

"Lily, hang in there!" I said desperately.

"Let's see if the little babushka does. Mythical Beast Cerberus, destroy Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!" Thanatos ordered. The creature mauled her ferociously, and Lily's Life Points fell to 5500! Thankfully, the Spell Counter on Mythical Beast Cerberus then disappeared, and its Attack Points went back down to 1900.

"And don't forget the power of Rapid-Fire Magician! Incinerate her!" he said. The Rapid-Fire Magician took control of the flying magic orbs that surrounded him, and bombarded Lily with them, reducing her Life Points again to 5100!

"And that was just his spell. Now, attack her Life Points directly!" he concluded. The Rapid-Fire Magician performed his spell again, and Lily's Life Points went down even further to 3000!

"But he's not the only one with a powerful spell. Thanks to my activating Stop Defense when Dark Eradicator Warlock was on the field, you lose 1000 more Life Points!" he said. The Warlock cast his spell again, and Lily's Life Points plummeted to 2000!

"Lily, no!" I shouted.

"You can cry all you want, knight, but you can't rescue her. I shall kill her for the Master. Long live the Emperor!" he shouted triumphantly.

"I'm not done yet," Lily said, getting back up.

"Give it up; you can't win against _true_ dark magic, little witch," he bragged.

"I defeated an evil wizard before; I can do it again," she said bravely. "First, thanks to the effect of Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, I can summon 1 Earth Attribute Warrior-Type monster with 1500 or less Attack Points in my Deck to my side of the field." She did just that, summoning Obnoxious Celtic Guard (1400/1200) in Defense Mode.

"Lily, please be careful," I said.

"Don't worry, I will be. Besides, I still get to draw a card," she said, since it was her Draw Phase and Obnoxious Celtic Guard was summoned with a Special Summon. The card she drew Shadow Spell.

"Thanatos, your Warlock isn't going to cast anymore spells, thanks to my Trap Card: Shadow Spell!" she said. Ethereal chains tied up the Warlock tightly, causing his Attack Points to drop to 1800.

"You're only delaying the inevitable, babushka," Thanatos taunted. But thanks to Obnoxious Celtic Guard's special ability, Thanatos had to end his turn.

"Now I get to draw again," Lily said confidently. The new card she drew was Penumbral Soldier Lady (2100/1400).

"Well then, talk about a turnaround. I sacrifice Obnoxious Celtic Guard to summon the Penumbral Soldier Lady," she said, and the beautiful lunar armor-clad warrior graced the field. "And thanks to her special ability, your Mythical Beast Cerberus doesn't stand a chance. Not to mention, it doesn't matter if the Seal of Orichalcos made him evil; he's also still a Light Attribute monster. Penumbral Soldier Lady, take out that mongrel!" The Soldier Lady's sword glowed with dark energy, and her attack rose to 3100. She leapt toward the Mythical Beast Cerberus and attacked wildly, killing the creature and reducing Thanatos's Life Points to 2300. All of us breathed sighs of relief.

"At least she won't have to worry about that dog's special ability anymore," Joey said.

"But what about his other two monsters?" Tristan asked.

"Let's just hope Lily draws a good card," I said, hoping against hope. She drew a card, and got…Monster Reborn. But first… Lily thought.

"All right, now that he's weakened, my Penumbral Soldier Lady can attack your Dark Eradicator Warlock and win!" she said. The Soldier Lady attacked again, and finally killed the Warlock. Thanatos's Life Points dropped down to 2000.

"Good; now she can play any Normal Spell Card she wants and not get hurt!" I said proudly. In fact, I was proud of Lily. Even in the face of death, she never backed down.

"And now I play the Spell Card Monster Reborn, and bring back an old friend: Dark Magician!" she continued, and the great spellcaster appeared on Lily's side of the field once more. "Now, destroy his Rapid-Fire Magician!" The Dark Magician unleashed his Dark Magic Attack, and killed Thanatos's last remaining Spellcaster and brought his Life Points down to 1600.

"No, this cannot be happening!" the warlock said in disbelief.

"All right, just one more attack and she'll win!" Joey said.

"I knew she could do it," I agreed.

"I'll kill you yet, witch! I now remove my Rapid-Fire Magician and my Mythical Beast Cerberus from play, so now I can summon…Chaos Sorcerer!" he shouted. The two monsters appeared on the field only to become consumed by columns of their respective elements. The columns disappeared, and a truly evil sorcerer (2300/2000) appeared. Just as with Thanatos's other monsters, his eyes turned red and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead, and his Attack Points became 2800.

"And what makes him truly chaotic is I can now remove a monster on the field from play. And I choose your Dark Magician!" Thanatos said forcefully. Suddenly, the Dark Magician was annihilated.

"Lucky for you, Chaos Sorcerer cannot attack during the same turn he uses that ability. But it won't matter, since I'll defeat you sooner than you think," he said.

I'd better make this move count, then, Lily thought. She drew a card, and got…Black Luster Ritual!

"All right, Thanatos, prepare for a knight in dark armor! I activate the Spell Card, Black Luster Ritual! I sacrifice Penumbral Soldier Lady and Dark Witch from my hand, and now I can summon Black Luster Soldier!" she declared. Penumbral Soldier Lady disappeared from the field, and Lily discarded Dark Witch to the Graveyard, and the dark knight (3000/2500) appeared on the field.

"All right, that's one of Lily's best monsters!" I said.

"But is it enough to win?" Tristan asked.

"When there's a will, there's a way," I said.

"Black Luster Soldier, destroy his Chaos Sorcerer!" Lily said. The Soldier charged swiftly and cut Chaos Sorcerer in half with incredible force. Unfortunately, it only dropped Thanatos's Life Points to 1400.

"It's good that she got rid of that sorcerer, but what else can she do?" Yugi asked.

"You're right; there's nothing else she can do. I summon The Illusory Gentleman in Defense Mode and end my turn. Face it, babushka; you'll _never_ defeat me," Thanatos said. A terrible-looking mutant wearing a nobleman's clothes (1500/1600) appeared on the field with its arms crossed defensively. Since its single eye was already red, the Orichalcos symbol appeared on its forehead, and its Attack Points became 2000.

"We'll see about that," Lily said, drawing one last card. It was…Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300/2100).

"Since this is the only card in my hand, I summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight in Attack Mode!" Lily said. The mounted knight appeared next to the Dark Magician, ready for battle.

"Excellent! There's nothing that guy can do now!" Joey said.

"Go get him, Lily! Do it for the Earth and everyone on it!" I said.

"I will, my love. I will. Gaia, destroy the Illusory Gentleman!" she said. The knight's horse galloped as fast as it could, and Gaia impaled the mutant with his two swords, destroying Thanatos's last defense.

"Let's end this. Black Luster Soldier, attack the warlock's Life Points directly!" Lily ordered. The Black Luster Soldier attacked Thanatos with the same ferocity as he did the Chaos Sorcerer, and the Russian warlock's Life Points went down to 0.

"How's that for a babushka?" Lily said victoriously.

"This is impossible! How can I, a great and powerful warlock, be killed by a lowly witch?" Thanatos said in disbelief as the Orichalcos Ring shrunk around him.

"Face it; you cultists suck," I said. The Orichalcos once again launched an enormous stream of bright green light into the sky.

"You may think you're safe now, knight and sorceress! But I'll be back, and I'll have my revenge!" he said before his body became comatose. Lily and I breathed sighs of relief again.

"Well, I'm glad he's gone. I couldn't believe how destructive he was!" Téa said. I went up to Lily.

"Lily, I'm very proud of you," I said.

"Thank you. I told you I could do it," she said.

"Yes, I should never have doubted you," I responded. We hugged each other deeply.

Elsewhere, Thatehos couldn't believe what he sensed.

"I can't believe this. Six of my followers have been defeated?" he said, sounding uncharacteristically frantic. He then turned to the statue of Satan behind him, and kneeled to pray.

"O Spirit of Darkness, the Knight and Sorceress of Atlantis continue to disrupt our plans. They have destroyed six of my duelists; one has been killed, and you now possess the souls of the other five. How can I defeat them?" he asked. The statue suddenly opened its eyes, and they glowed a haunting blood red.

"Even a knight must bow before an emperor," the statue said in an incredibly eerie voice. Then it went dormant once again. Thatehos thought about the riddle for a while, and then the answer struck him quickly. One of the cultists emerged from his resting chamber.

"Of course…_he_ can do it," he said, knowing who to send to attack next.

1 "Grandmother"


	8. Chapter 8

Prelude to a Legend

Chapter VIII

Wrath of the Emperor

It was almost midnight, and already five of Thatehos's fanatical followers had been slain.

"So, what do we do now?" Tristan asked.

"I know what I'm _not_ going to do: I'm not going to just stand around waiting for the next zealot to show up," I said, getting on Moon Shadow.

"Demetrios, what are you doing?" Lily asked worriedly.

"I'm not going to wait anymore. I'll be going after _Thatehos_ for a change," I said, and quickly galloped away.

"Demetrios, wait up!" Lily said, running to catch up with me.

"I was afraid of this," Téa said.

"Should we follow him as well?" Tristan said.

"Of course. You've seen how dangerous Thatehos's followers are; who knows what kind of power this guy will have?" Yugi said, and the group ran en suite.

Thatehos, in the meantime, was watching my actions eagerly with a viewing spell.

"Hmm, so the knight willingly walks into a trap? Maybe he's not as powerful as I gave him credit for," the dark arch-mage said with a sneer. However, he was watching this with such interest that he failed to notice something else happening in the abandoned monastery.

In the dungeon, Mokuba carefully slipped out of the iron cuffs holding him to the wall.

Now how do I get out of this crazy place? he asked himself. But as he looked around for a way out, a sword fell in front of him, knocking him to his feet. Mokuba looked up in fear, and saw the dark knight, Sir Aiakelotho.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Yeah; to find my brother, who'll kick your butt!" Mokuba answered defiantly.

"Ah, so you miss your family? How cute. Then allow me to take you to him," he said mockingly.

"What do you -" the boy began, but was knocked unconscious before he could finish, and Aiakelotho spirited him away into the night.

Moon Shadow and I trotted stealthily through the forest, carefully looking out for enemies.

"Sic, vos have supervenio1," said a mysterious voice. It spoke Latin but had a distinctive Italian accent. I looked around suspiciously.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"A verus bellator satraps. Vos es iustus a invado ut per2," he continued. I drew my sword.

"Show yourself," I said. Just then, a spiked log came down from one of the trees!

"Not this time!" I said as Moon Shadow lowered his head to avoid it. I cut the log in half with one fell swoop. The two halves landed on both sides of me.

"Ah, you're cleverer than you look," said the hidden speaker. A gold chariot pulled by two of the same demonic horse that Thanatos rode emerged from the forest. The driver was a very strange man indeed. He appeared to be twenty-nine years old, but he was very thin; his arms hung like ropes from his sides. His blond hair reached down to his neck, and contrasted with his brown eyes. He was simply dressed in a white toga decorated with a golden lion brooch and sandals. "That's good, because I enjoy a challenge," he continued.

"Uh, aren't you a little old for toga parties?" I asked.

"Silence, knave! How dare you address an Emperor that way!" he snapped.

"Emperor? I think you're a little lost. The 1st Century is back that way," I said defiantly.

"Mongrel! I should have your head cut off for that! No one speaks that way to Emperor Caligula!" he said.

"Demetrios, are you all right?" Lily asked as she and the others caught up.

"Who's this jerk?" Joey asked.

"Some weirdo who lost his way to the University of Oregon," I said.

"You shall pay for your disrespect, knave! I challenge you to a duel!" Caligula said, producing a Dark Duel Disk from the chariot.

"Now you're speaking my language," I said, preparing my own.

"I'm sure you know the stakes by now: if I win, you lose your soul and my Master and I conquer your world," Caligula said.

"And if _I_ win, I kick your master's butt," I agreed. "So let's duel!" we said simultaneously as our Life Points set at 8000.

"I'll start us off with Warrior of Zera in Attack Mode!" Caligula said. A warrior wearing green armor and wielding an eerie sword (1600/1600) appeared.

"You're good," I began, and examined my hand, which contained Polymerization, Axe of Despair, Mystic Horseman (1300/1550), Gift of the Mystical Elf, and Gagagigo (1850/1000).

"But I'm better. I summon Gagagigo in Attack Mode, and now he'll rip apart your warrior!" I said. The lizard-man appeared and tore apart the Warrior, reducing Caligula's Life Points to 7750. "I'll also lay three cards facedown for now."

"That's good, because you'll need them. I lay a card in facedown Defense Mode, and I activate the Field Spell Card Pandemonium!" he said. The area around us then turned into a scene from hell. We were surrounded by an eldritch and unholy arena.

"Yugi, what does Pandemonium do?" Lily asked worriedly.

"Well, from what I remember, when you activate it you don't have to pay Life Points when you have Archfiend monsters, but I heard that there are other cards that it benefits," he explained.

"Which ones?" Téa asked.

"I guess we'll have to find out," Yugi said.

"I should have known one of Thatehos's followers would use a card like this," I said.

"Believe me, this card is harmless compared to what's in store for you, knave," Caligula said.

"I'll defeat you before that happens," I said, drawing a card from my Deck. I drew Enraged Battle Ox (1700/1000). Perfect!

"Let's see what that facedown of yours is. Gagagigo, attack!" I said. Gagagigo attacked again, but the facedown monster was Stone Statue of the Aztecs (300/2000)!

"This can't be good," I said.

"It isn't - for you, anyway. When you attack Stone Statue of the Aztecs, any Battle Damage you take from the failed assault is doubled. So instead of taking 150 points of damage, you take 300," Caligula said with a nasty sneer. Indeed, my Life Points dropped to 7700.

"Well, I guess I have no choice but to bring out the big guns. I activate Polymerization. Now I combine Mystic Horseman with Enraged Battle Ox, and with that I can create Rabid Horseman!" The two monsters combined, creating a combination of a Minotaur and a centaur (2000/1700). "And I'll equip him with Axe of Despair, giving him 1000 more Attack Points." The Rabid Horseman's axe changed into an eerie great axe with a skull on its haft, and its Attack Points rose to 3000.

"All right, Rabid Horseman, destroy Stone Statue of the Aztecs and keep that special ability from knocking me down anymore!" I ordered. The minotaur/centaur galloped forward and cut the statue in half.

"Now you can't hurt me," I said defiantly.

"Oh yes I can, and I believe this will prove it. I activate Monster Reborn, with which I'll bring back Warrior of Zera, but that's not the only Special Summon I'll be making. I shall now sacrifice him to summon his dark side, Mazera DeVille. I shall also lay two cards facedown and then activate…the Seal of Orichalcos!" Caligula said. The Warrior of Zera reappeared on his side of the field, but was immediately replaced by a demoniac version (2800/2300) of himself. Then the dark arena of Pandemonium disappeared to be replaced with the Orichalcos Ring, which subsequently surrounded us both. Caligula's brown eyes turned red, while the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead. The same happened to Mazera DeVille (even though he was already evil, considering that he's a Fiend-Type) and his Attack Points rose to 3300.

"Mazera DeVille, destroy Gagagigo and show this usurper the true powers of darkness!" Caligula said. The demon tore the lizard-man apart with his enormous claws, reducing my Life Points to 6250!

"And I'm not done yet. I activate the Trap Card Imperial Order! So now you can't activate any of your Spell Cards. Sure the Seal of Orichalcos is a Spell Card, but it's too powerful to be negated. And I may have to pay 700 Life Points to keep it active, but thanks to my other Trap Card, Life Absorbing Machine, I get half of them back, starting now," he explained further. Just as he explained, his Life Points went down to 7050, and then climbed back up to 7400. I just drew another card from my Deck: Unshaven Angler (1500/1600). I'd have to save it for later.

"Your Imperial Order doesn't scare me. First I'll switch Rabid Horseman to Defense Mode and lay a facedown card of my own," I said.

"Is that all? I summon Ogre of the Black Shadow in Attack Mode, and thanks to the powers of the Orichalcos, he gains 500 more Attack Points," Caligula said. A red-skinned ogre (1200/1400) appeared next Mazera DeVille, and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on its forehead while its Attack Points rose to 1700.

"First, my demon lord shall obliterate your Rabid Horseman. Attack!" he continued. Mazera DeVille eviscerated my monster in the same way as Gagagigo!

"And now my Ogre of the Black Shadow will attack your Life Points directly!" he concluded. The ogre charged like a ferocious lion and cut my Life Points down to 4,550! "And I'm sure you know the drill by now: I pay 700 Life Points, and then get 350 back." One again, his score dropped to 6700, and then rose to 7050.

"Demetrios, no!" Lily said.

"Hang in there!" Joey added.

"Don't worry, I will," I assured them. I drew another card, and got Mirror Force. Excellent! Imperial Order may work on Spell Cards, but certainly not Trap Cards.

"I summon Unshaven Angler in Defense Mode, and lay one card facedown," I said, smiling about my plan as the fish appeared on my side of the field.

"A glutton for punishment, are we? Then I'll give it to you. Ogre of the Black Shadow, fry that fish!" he said. The ogre stampeded again.

"Not this time; I have Trap Cards of my own. I activate Mirror Force!" I said. Both the Ogre and Mazera DeVille were instantly destroyed. "So much for your demon lord. Now all you can do is pay Life Points again." Caligula grumbled as he did so; his Life Points went down to 6350, and then went up to 6700.

"Now let's see what's in the cards - for me," I continued. I drew…Suijin (2500/2400)! "All right, now you're in trouble, Your Majesty. Since Unshaven Angler is one of those cards I can treat as two Tribute Monsters, I'll sacrifice it and summon Suijin!" I said. The fish disappeared and in its place stood a fierce blue golem, one of the three god monsters needed to create the most powerful warrior of all…Gate Guardian!

"Say, didn't the Paradox Brothers have that?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, I remember," Yugi answered.

"Don't remind me. Those guys weirded me out," Téa said.

"Can you blame him? He likes beating the living crap out of his enemies with the most powerful monsters in the game," Lily said.

"Let's hope he can pull it off this time," Yugi said.

"And now Suijin can attack your Life Points directly!" I concluded. The golem slammed Caligula with a massive tidal wave, reducing his Life Points to 4200!

"I rest my case," Yugi said.

"I guess you thought that was rather clever. I'll show you how a _true_ champion thinks. I activate the Spell Card Cost Down. By discarding one card from my hand, I can now summon Divine Dragon - Excelion without a sacrifice. And guess what? Since the card I discarded was also Divine Dragon - Excelion, the one I summoned gains 1000 Attack Points, plus 500 more thanks to the Seal of Orichalcos," he explained. A silver-scaled dragon (1500/900) appeared, and then its golden eyes turned blood red, the mark of the Orichalcos appeared on its forehead, and its Attack Points went up to 3000!

"Incinerate Suijin!" he ordered. However, I simply smiled confidently.

"Didn't you know that my monster has a special ability as well? He can reduce the Attack Points of a monster that attacks him to zero. And your dragon is a perfect target," I said. Sure enough, the Dragon's Attack Points became nothing. "So now Suijin can counterattack!" The water god fired a stream of water that was as hard as rock at the dragon, crushing it and knocking down Caligula's Life Points even further to 1700!

"I knew you'd turn this around!" Lily said happily.

"Don't celebrate just yet. I think he's planning something," I said suspiciously.

"You're good, but not better than me! I summon Gilasaurus. I'm sure you know about his special ability: I can convert his Normal Summon into a Special Summon. And I'll do just that so I can summon my _third_ Divine Dragon - Excelion," he said. A vicious dromaeosaur (1400/400) appeared, only to be replaced with another Divine Dragon, only this one's Attack Points went up to 2000.

"Suijin is still stronger," I noted.

"Correction: he _was_ stronger. That's why I activate a Spell Card as well: Dragon Nails, giving him 600 more Attack Points!" he added. The dragon's claws became much longer and sharper, and it indeed became 600 points stronger. "Now let's alter history. Divine Dragon - Excelion, attack!" The dragon breathed fire again, and Suijin was destroyed this time, and my Life Points went down to 4450.

"And I'm not done yet. Since I have two Divine Dragon - Excelions in the Graveyard, when the one I have on the field destroys a monster, he can attack again!" Caligula added. The dragon breathed fire again - at me this time, making my Life Points 1850!

"Oh yes, now that my Life Points are only 1700, I'm not going to use Imperial Order anymore," he concluded, and the card was destroyed.

"This is not good. No matter how powerful the monster I summon is, he just finds a way to knock it down," I said, trying to stay up on my feet.

"No; go ahead and fall on your knees. It's befitting for a filthy commoner like you," Caligula said with utmost arrogance.

"I'll never bow down to some fanatical cultist!" I said defiantly. "And what's with that high-and-mighty attitude of yours anyway?"

"There's a difference between attitude and fact. It just amazes me how a common teenager like you became one of the greatest duelists in the world while real champions like me are reserved for the footnotes of dueling history books," he said.

"So you joined Thatehos's cult just so you can one-up me? That's the _dumbest_ reason I've ever heard," I exclaimed.

"It was just for more than that. I might as well tell you, since I'm going to kill you anyway. I was one of Italy's most notorious members of Parliament, and I was very proud of my position. Some say I was _too_ proud. I did whatever was in my power to move up the governmental ladder: propaganda, bribery, death threats, you name it, I did it. Thatehos recognized my talents and contacted me through my dreams. When I learned that I would be given the opportunity to wipe out my self-righteous enemies; there was no way I could refuse," Caligula said.

"So you joined Thatehos's cult just so you could kill people?" Téa asked in disgust.

"We all did. Abaddon, Thanatos, Maledict, all of us. And we chose a fine base of operations as well; no one will ever suspect an abandoned monastery housing our esteemed order. But we're not going to kill _everyone_. We need to leave some people alive for the royal demons to boss around," he said.

"That's just sick!" Lily said.

"As long as I draw breath, it's not going to happen. This world _will_ stand!" I said, getting back up and drawing a card from my Deck. It turned out to be Swords of Revealing Light. Good. This card kept Valkorcan from killing me; it can do so again. I thought.

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light! Now you can't attack me for three turns," I said.

"Not for long. I activate a Spell Card of my own: Card of Sanctity. Now all of our cards in our hands and on the field get removed from play - except the Seal of Orichalcos, of course," he said. Suddenly, Swords of Revealing Light, Life Absorbing Machine, Dragon Nails, my facedown Gift of the Mystical Elf, and Divine Dragon - Excelion all got annihilated.

"Now we both get to draw two cards," he said, and we did just that. I got Cure Mermaid (1500/800) and Mask of Darkness (900/400). "And since it's still my turn, I'll lay one of my cards facedown and summon Lord of Dragons in Attack Mode." A sorcerer wearing draconian armor (1200/1100) appeared on his side of the field. His eyes turned red and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead, and his Attack Points rose to 1700.

"And speaking of cards, I have one that you need," Caligula said.

"What? How can you have a card that _I_ need?" I asked.

"My cohorts and I took it from Pegasus - but not before Thatehos killed him!" he answered with a sadistic laugh. All of us gasped with horror upon hearing that revelation.

"Pegasus…is dead?" Yugi asked in disbelief.

"It can't be!" Lily added.

"Oh, but it is," Caligula answered.

"Well, now I have a new reason for kicking your ass: Pegasus will be avenged!" I declared.

"Not if I kill you as well. Lord of Dragons, attack his Life Points directly!" Caligula ordered. The sorcerer cast a dark spell, and my Life Points went down to 150!

"No!" Lily said desperately.

"Don't worry, my love. I'm not done yet," I said, getting back up from the attack and the resulting pain. I drew one more card…and got…Crush Card. Hmm…

"I summon Cure Mermaid in Defense Mode, and she's going to give me 800 more Life Points. That'll do for now," I said. The beautiful mermaid graced the field, and increased my Life Points to 950.

"Once again, you've underwhelmed me. I activate the Spell Card Heavy Storm, which I'll use to destroy my own facedown cards," Caligula said haughtily. The cards turned out to be Statue of the Wicked.

"Uh-oh," I said as two demoniac insects (Wicked Tokens) appeared on Caligula's side of the field.

"You are quite right, because I shall now sacrifice these insects to summon the Tri-Horned Dragon!" he said. The insects disappeared almost immediately, and were replaced by an evil blue dragon with three horns protruding from its head, almost like a trident (2850/2350). Since it was already evil, its eyes didn't change color, but the Orichalcos symbol still appeared on its forehead and its Attack Points became 3350!

"Oh no…" Lily said with utmost worry. She was not the only one who was worried. I had only 950 Life Points left, one monster on my side of the field, and Caligula had two monsters with total Attack Points of over 5000!

"Now I shall destroy you once and for all! You cannot escape the Master's vigilance! Tri-Horned Dragon, destroy that aquatic wench!" he commanded. The dragon unleashed a great stream of unholy fire from its mouth, burning Cure Mermaid alive and killing her. Thankfully, she was in Defense Mode. But strangely, he just switched Lord of Dragons to Defense Mode.

"Why aren't you attacking again? You could have defeated me and gotten your desire," I said.

"An efficient general keeps his enemy guessing and off balance," Caligula retorted.

"Don't worry, my love. You can do this," she said.

"Believe in the Heart of the Cards," Yugi added. Hmm, I'll try it his way, I thought. I hoped against hope that the next card would be a good one, and I got…Monster Reborn.

"All right, Caligula, your reign of stupidity is over. I activate Monster Reborn, and bring back the lovely Cure Mermaid," I began. The beautiful angel appeared above the field, and restored my favorite card to life. "And I'm not done yet. I summon Mask of Darkness and lay a card facedown. But that mask won't be around for long, because I now sacrifice it to activate a very nasty Trap Card indeed…the Crush Card!" The Mask of Darkness appeared next to the Cure Mermaid, and then immediately disappeared as the Crush Card unveiled itself.

"Hey, doesn't Kaiba have the Crush Card?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, he used it on me and Joey," Yugi answered.

"Don't remind me," Joey said, not liking to be reminded of Seto Kaiba defeating him, again.

"What's happening to my monsters?" Caligula asked in shock. The Tri-Horned Dragon and the Lord of Dragons were both being infected by a terrible virus, which killed them both instantly.

"Didn't your 'glorious' leader teach you anything about dueling? The Crush Card destroys all of your monsters that have 1500 or more Attack Points. And not just the ones on the field; the virus also destroys the ones in your hand and any you'll draw in the next three turns," I said confidently.

"You're only delaying the inevitable, my friend," Caligula retorted.

"Am I? Cure Mermaid, attack his Life Points directly!" I said. Just as with Valkorcan, she fired a beam of energy at my opponent, reducing his Life Points to 200.

"And like she's done before, she gives me 800 more Life Points. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving," I said, and my Life Points rose to 1750.

"You have still failed to defeat me. Face it, you cannot defeat the Emperor. I'll summon Trap Master in Defense Mode," he said. A crazy-looking man in a strange outfit (500/1100) appeared on his side of the field. When it got the powers (and symbol) of the Orichalcos, its face then became downright sinister, especially the red eyes. Its Attack Points rose to 1000.

"Even the greatest rulers come to an end," I said, drawing one more card: Element Valkyrie (1500/1200).

"All right, now for one more monster. I summon Element Valkyrie in Attack Mode. How appropriate; Element Valkyrie is a Light Attribute monster, just what I need to kick an evil guy's butt," I said, as a beautiful woman wearing a revealing red and blue version of a Valkyrie's armor appeared on the field, wielding a double-bladed sword that burned with fire on one side and was coated with ice on the other.

"Element Valkyrie, destroy Trap Master!" I ordered. She ran and slashed the monster with the burning edge of her sword, setting him ablaze. Caligula gasped as he saw defeat drawing nearer.

"Now Cure Mermaid, attack his Life Points directly and end this duel!" I said. She fired the beam again, hitting Caligula again and reducing his Life Points to 0.

"That's one less of Thatehos's followers to worry about," I said.

"I…can't…lose!" Caligula said defiantly as the Orichalcos ring shrunk around him. As before, the magic fired into a great stream and shot into the sky, ripping Caligula's soul from his body.

Thatehos was praying in the ritual chamber, when he sensed something. He and Dijumia watched as Caligula's soul entered the room and flew into the bottle held by the statue of Satan, joining the captive souls of Abaddon, Benedict, Maledict, and Thanatos. Dijumia almost slipped off of the statue he was perched on when he realized what had happened.

"This is serious. What shall we do, Master?" the gargoyle asked in a nervous way that opposed his usual confidence.

"Fear not, Dijumia. I asked Lord Satan the same question, and he answered 'One enraged soldier can defeat an army'. I already knew what that meant," Thatehos answered with a cruel edge to his voice.

"I'm glad that's over with," I said. I then checked Caligula's body for the card he mentioned, but when I found it, all I found was an unnamed Spell Card with a blank white picture.

"That's weird; why would I need a blank card?" I asked.

"Maybe you have to do something to unlock its power?" Lily suggested.

"I guess," Yugi added.

"So where's this abandoned monastery he mentioned?" Joey asked.

"I remember there's one in the foothills of Mt. Fuji," Téa said.

"But that's kilometers away. Who knows what other kinds of maniacs Thatehos could send after us?" Tristan said, trying to be reasonable.

"I don't care. I'm going to stop Thatehos once and for all," I said. The rest of the group was impressed by my resolve.

"So, where do we go?" I asked. Everyone fainted - even Moon Shadow.

"How long have you been here? We go southwest," Joey said.

"Okay, okay," I said. We then embarked for Mt. Fujiyama - and our destinies.

1 "So, you have arrived"

2 "A true dueling ruler. You are just a usurper to the throne"


	9. Chapter 9

Prelude to a Legend

Chapter IX

The Destined Joust

While we were planning to find Thatehos's hideout, Seto Kaiba was to have another encounter with the supernatural.

He returned to the main Kaiba Corp office building to plan how to retrieve Mokuba.

"Whoever attacks my family will pay dearly," he whispered angrily. Suddenly, the whole building shook violently for a few seconds.

"What's happening? An earthquake?" he asked as he tried to gain his footing during the shaking. "No; that shaking came from the roof." Quickly, he ran up the stairs to the roof of the building. What he saw horrified even him to the core. It was the dark knight, Sir Aiakelotho, but that was not what shocked him so. Some feet away was Mokuba…chained up and laying on his back…on a guillotine! Aiakelotho gleefully held the rope that kept the blade up.

"Seto!" Mokuba shouted helplessly.

"You bastard! What are you doing with my brother?" Seto asked with utmost anger.

"Just making you an offer you can't refuse. Duel me, and the outcome will determine your brother's fate. If you win, which I doubt will ever happen, he lives. If _I_ win, I'll make sure the last thing you see before you die is your brother getting decapitated - because you failed to protect him!" Aiakelotho said sadistically.

"You doubt that? I would have defeated you, if you hadn't turned yellow and ran away," Seto said.

"Shut up! You just got lucky that time! This time, it'll be different!" Aiakelotho said angrily, and activated his eldritch Duel Disk.

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect my brother!" Seto said and activated his own Disk.

"Let's duel!" they said as their Life Points set at 8000.

"Big brother, be careful," Mokuba whispered.

"Forget the stupid pawns; I'll bring out the queen. That is, Infernalqueen Archfiend in Attack Mode!" he said. An immensely hideous demonic queen (900/1500) appeared on the field. "And talk about the luck of the draw. I'll activate a Spell Card, one I'm sure you're familiar with: the Seal of Satan!" He activated the dreaded card, and just as before, the shadowy Netherworld Dragon appeared on the field, towering frightfully over Seto, before sinking into the ground and turning into the ring that surrounded the two players. The star appeared within the ring, and the pentagram glowed brightly. Aiakelotho's eyes turned blood red, and the same symbol as the pentagram appeared on the queen's forehead.

"Of course, she's already a demon, so she only gains 1000 Attack and Defense Points. But that's not all. Thanks to her special ability, she gains 1000 _more_ Attack Points. They don't say the queen is the most powerful piece for nothing. Of course, the only drawback is now I lose 500 Life Points," Aiakelotho explained further. Sure enough, the demoness's stats rose to 2900/2500, while his Life Points dropped to 7500.

Meanwhile, Lily and I sensed something very weird.

"Demetrios, are you all right?" Yugi asked.

"Not really. I can sense that same evil power that Valkorcan used when you and I dueled him," I answered.

"Yeah, I can feel it as well," Lily agreed.

"Where's it coming from?" Téa asked.

"I don't know if I can pinpoint it, but I think Lily can," I said.

"I'll try," she said. She closed her eyes and tried to find where it was coming from. She opened her eyes in shock.

"It's coming from Seto Kaiba's main office!" she said.

"So Kaiba's dueling one of those cultists?" Joey asked.

"We have to get over there before something happens!" Yugi said.

"Uh, this is Kaiba we're talking about, remember?" Joey added.

"Never mind that; those cultists are dangerous! Believe me, I know," I said, telling Moon Shadow to turn around, and we ran back to Domino City.

"Don't make me laugh. I'm a master at chess. How else do you think I got Gozaburo to adopt Mokuba and me?" he said as he looked at his hand. It contained Burst Stream of Destruction, White Dragon Ritual, Shadow Spell, Swordstalker (2000/1600), and Different Dimension Dragon (1200/1500). Hmm, I already have the advantage.

"We'll see who makes the checkmate, Don Quixote. First I'll activate the Trap Card Shadow Spell, and now you lost your most powerful piece," Seto began. The ethereal chains of Shadow Spell appeared and bound the Archfiend, reducing her Attack Points to 2200.

"And that's not all. I activate the Spell Card, White Dragon Ritual! With this, I sacrifice Swordstalker in my hand and summon Paladin of White Dragon!" he continued. A knight wielding a lance and riding a white drake (1900/1200) appeared on the field. "But he won't be around for long, because now I'll sacrifice him to bring out my favorite monster and your downfall: the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" In that moment, the Paladin disappeared and was replaced with Kaiba's most valuable monster (3000/2500).

"Excellent! Now there's no way Seto can lose," Mokuba said with renewed hope.

"Sure, Blue-Eyes can't attack if she's summoned in that way, but with this Spell Card, I can do the next best thing: I activate Burst Stream of Destruction. When Blue-Eyes in on the field, all your monsters are automatically destroyed," he continued. Activating the card, the dragon unleashed her White Lightning attack, destroying Infernalqueen Archfiend and clearing Aiakelotho's side of the field.

"You just got lucky, is all," the knight said dismissively.

"That's your excuse for everything. Just admit I'm the better duelist," Seto asserted. Hearing that was poison to Aiakelotho's ears.

"I will _never_ say it! Only _I_ am worthy of commanding dragons!" he shouted.

"And I thought Yugi lived in a fantasy world," Kaiba said.

"You asked for it, asshole! I activate Monster Reborn and bring back Infernalqueen Archfiend, and now that she's back, I can summon an old friend: Terrorking Archfiend!" Aiakelotho said. The dark scythe-wielding fallen angel appeared and brought Infernalqueen Archfiend back to life, then next to her appeared Terrorking Archfiend. Because of the Seal of Satan, their respective stats rose to 1900/2500 and 3000/2500.

"Now that he's here, the queen will use her powers to raise his Attack Points by another 1000," he explained further. True to what he said, the demon king's Attack Points rose to 4000.

"Terrorking Archfiend, though I am loath to do this, destroy his Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he commanded. The demon unleashed a swarm of ravenous demon locusts and easily killed Kaiba's monster.

"No way!" Mokuba said.

"Now Infernalqueen Archfiend, attack his Life Points directly!" he continued. She fired a stream of evil energy, and reduced Kaiba's Life Points to 6100. "Though I now must pay Life Points again." he said ruefully as his own score went down to 6200.

"I assure you she won't be gone for long - just like you're going to be," Seto said as he drew a card. He got Pot of Greed.

"I activate Pot of Greed. Now I can draw two more cards from my Deck," he said, and he did just that. He got Cyber Jar (900/900) and Ring of Destruction.

"I place a monster in facedown Defense Mode and lay another card facedown. Care to guess what they are?" Seto taunted.

"The only thing I care about is killing you! Infernalqueen Archfiend, attack his facedown card!" Aiakelotho shouted. However, when the demoness attacked, she unveiled the Cyber Jar, and all three monsters on the field were instantly killed.

"What have you done?" the knight shouted in shock.

"What was necessary to kick your ass. Now we both pick up five cards from our Decks and summon any Level 4 or lower monsters," Seto answered, and did so. Grumbling, Aiakelotho did the same. The cards he drew were X-Head Cannon (1800/1500), Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600), Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300), Negate Attack, and his second Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Hmm, this is quite the turnaround. I summon X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank in Attack Mode, but they won't be around for long. I'll remove all three of them from play and summon the unstoppable XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" Seto said. The three machines appeared on the field, and as soon as they did they combined together to become the ultra-powerful tank (2800/2600).

"Well, well, I can summon my monsters as well: say 'hello' to Vilepawn Archfiend, Shadowknight Archfiend, and Lord of Dragons! And of course, since they're all demons, the power of darkness enhances them with 1000 more Attack and Defense Points," Aiakelotho said. As before, the monsters respective stats rose to 2200/1200, 3000/2600, and 2200/2100.

"You seem confident, but it's still my turn. I lay one of my cards facedown, and I discard 1 card from my hand, so now my XYZ-Dragon Cannon can destroy 1 of your monsters automatically! And I choose your Shadowknight Archfiend!" Seto declared. The cannons charged up, but didn't fire.

"What's going on?" Seto demanded to know.

"Don't you know anything about Archfiend monsters? When you attack one, I roll a die, and in Shadowknight's case, if it lands on a 3, the ability gets canceled and your monster gets destroyed. Let's play a little craps, shall we?" Aiakelotho said. He produced a six-sided die from his pocket and threw it across the ground. It landed on…1!

"One? How the hell did that happen?" the knight said in shock. Kaiba, on the other hand, smiled confidently.

"Looks like my ability will go through after all. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, get rid of that knight!" he said. The cannons charged up again, and the knight was obliterated.

"And like I said, that was just its special ability. It still has its main attack, which I think I'll use on your pawn," Kaiba continued. The Dragon Cannon fired again, and destroyed the Vilepawn Archfiend, reducing Aiakelotho's Life Points to 5600.

"You haven't beaten me yet. I switch Lord of Dragons to Defense Mode and lay a card facedown," the knight said.

"You'll need more than that to beat me," Seto said, drawing another card. This one turned out to be the third Blue-Eyes. Hmm, he thought to himself.

"I place a card facedown," he said.

"You're only delaying the inevitable, human scum! Now that I have the correct cards, I activate Polymerization! Now I combine Lord of Dragons with Divine Dragon Ragnarok in my hand, and create King Dragun!" Aiakelotho explained. A composite creature with the upper body of Lord of Dragons and the lower body of a divine dragon (2400/1200) appeared on the field, and its Attack and Defense Points rose to 3400/2200.

"King Dragun, destroy his XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" Aiakelotho shouted. The monster launched an immensely powerful beam of energy from the horn-like instrument in his right hand.

"Not so fast! I activate Negate Attack!" Kaiba said. The monster's attack did not go through.

"Face it; you've already lost, Kaiba! You will not rescue your brother!" Aiakelotho roared.

"On the contrary, I've already won," Kaiba said, and drew another card. It was his secondary Pot of Greed.

"And this will prove it. I activate Pot of Greed once again, and draw two more cards," he continued. The new cards were Ring of Defense and Monster Reborn. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn, but not before switching XYZ-Dragon Cannon to Defense Mode."

"You test my patience, Kaiba! Now you have forced me to do something I really don't want to do. I activate the Spell Card Cost Down! I discard a card from my hand, and by turning the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand into a Level 6 monster, I only need to sacrifice King Dragun to bring her out. Not only that, I activate the Spell Card Stop Defense, and put your XYZ-Dragon Cannon back in Attack Mode!" he said. Those three things all happened at once: King Dragun was replaced with the fourth Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and XYZ-Dragon Cannon switched back to Attack Mode.

"But that's not all that will take place. My dragon now becomes a demon, but not just any demon: the Blue-Eyes Demon Dragon!" Aiakelotho declared, and laughed with sadistic pride. The legendary dragon turned into the same monster she had become when Kaiba and Aiakelotho last fought, and her Attack and Defense Points became 4000/3500. Kaiba was just as outraged this time as he was before.

"Blue-Eyes Demon Dragon, destroy XYZ-Dragon Cannon with Black Lightning!" he said. The demonic dragon unleashed a black bolt of lightning, and swiftly obliterated the Cannon, reducing Kaiba's Life Points to 4900.

"Brother, no!" Mokuba said.

"Shut up, you brat! Your brother's going to die, and I will be his executioner!" Aiakelotho roared.

"I'm not done yet," Seto said, much to the dark knight's astonishment. Kaiba drew one more card. It turned out to be Polymerization.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my brother, Aiakelotho. I activate Monster Reborn, and bring back an old friend: the _original_ Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he said. The great white dragon once again graced the field.

"It pains me to see that magnificent beast under the control of a piece of common scum like you," Aiakelotho said with immeasurable anger.

"You're one to talk; you _defiled_ Blue-Eyes. Now I will have my revenge, by activating Polymerization. You know what this does, right?" Seto asked him. Aiakelotho started to panic.

"No! You can't! You can't summon _him_!" he said.

"Watch me. I combine the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field with the other two in my hand, and create the greatest dragon of them all: the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" he declared. The three dragons became as one: a magnificent three-headed beast with 4500 Attack Points and 3800 Defense Points.

"You disgrace yourself even further by summoning that. And it won't do you a lot of good either. My monster has 4000 Attack Points; you'll never defeat me!" the knight said, and laughed maniacally.

"Wrong again. I activate the Trap Card Ring of Destruction, and I'll put it on your petty excuse for a Duel Monster," Kaiba said, and with that a ring containing many grenades appeared and placed itself on the corrupted dragon's neck.

"So? I said my monster has 4000 Attack Points; you'll make yourself vulnerable as well," Aiakelotho said. Kaiba laughed at the statement.

"You must have spent your life under a rock if you don't know my dueling style. I activate my other facedown card: Ring of Defense, so now only _you_ will take the damage," Kaiba said. The rings activated, and the Blue-Eyes Demon Dragon was utterly destroyed, reducing Aiakelotho's Life Points to a measly 1,600, while Kaiba's were left untouched.

"This can't be happening!" Aiakelotho said.

"It is. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his Life Points directly and make him pay for attacking my family!" Seto Kaiba shouted. All three heads of the great dragon fired immensely powerful energy at Aiakelotho, utterly annihilating his Life Points and ending the duel in Seto's favor. As a matter of fact, the explosion from the blast was so great that the blade on the guillotine was blown off, freeing Mokuba from certain decapitation.

"Keep the change," Seto said. Just then, he noticed something strange. The Seal of Satan began to shrink around Aiakelotho, and a backlash of evil energy was unleashed.

"I…can't…lose!" Aiakelotho shouted, but then became consumed by supernatural fire that ravaged him for several seconds, and when it cleared, all that was left was a pile of hot, burned armor.

"What? But how?" Seto asked as he approached the pile of armor. He placed a hand on it, but quickly pulled back because of the fierce heat.

"Was he really a demon?" Seto asked. He wasn't given much time to ponder that thought, because Mokuba ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, big brother," he said.

"Don't mention it," Seto said.

Meanwhile, back on the ground level of Domino City, Lily and I stopped where we were.

"What's happened now?" Yugi asked.

"The evil power…it's gone," I said.

"I can't feel it any more either," Lily agreed.

"So…Kaiba won?" Téa asked.

"He must have. He's one of the best duelists I've ever known," Yugi said.

"That's true. Rich Boy may be a pain in the butt, but I'd hate to lose him to an insane cultist," Joey said.

"Well, I'm glad he's safe," I said.

"Yes, but how safe are _you_, dueling boy?" said a mysterious voice from the shadows, a mysterious but strangely familiar voice.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter X

The Queen and I

Now that Sir Aiakelotho was dead, Thatehos's forces were severely weakened. Hopefully, we wouldn't encounter any more crazy duelists on our trek to the abandoned monastery.

"You know, Kaiba may have an attitude, but I'm glad he didn't die to that seal," Téa said.

"No kidding. I've seen what that thing can do, and I've felt it. Believe me, it did _not_ feel good," I said, remembering my duel with Valkorcan.

"I can't believe there are actually people going around doing this to innocents," Lily said.

"Don't worry, Lily. We'll stop them. I know we will," I assured her.

"That's what you think," said a mysterious voice.

"That's what I said," I retorted, looking at Joey.

"What did I say?" he said. Now confused, we looked around for the speaker.

"Over here, stupid. Men," she said with an exasperated sigh. We looked in front of us, and there was a young woman wearing a blood red cloak and hood. Strangely, her voice sounded very familiar.

"Oh great, another cultist," I said.

"Hmm, maybe I was wrong. You always were quite intelligent," she said. By now I was getting weirded out.

"Who are you? And how do you know me?" I asked.

"You don't know? My voice sounds familiar enough, doesn't it?" she said.

"I remember voices pretty well, and yours isn't ringing anything," I said.

"Time to let the hellcat out of the bag, then," the cultist said, and removed her hood. Neither Lily nor I could believe who the wearer was. It was…Melissa! Her long brown hair had not changed a bit, and her blue eyes still shimmered, though it was now with vengeance rather than affection. She tore off her cloak and revealed - much to my surprise - the very same outfit she wore when we broke up! I couldn't believe that we both remembered it. She wore a shiny red tube top made from the softest silk, which attractively contrasted with her tanned skin. Below that was a pair of soft black velvet pants, and on her feet was a pair of fancy stiletto-heeled sandals.

"Melissa? What are you doing here?" I asked with much shock.

"What does it look like? Getting my revenge," she answered.

"Demetrios, do you know her?" Yugi asked.

"Unfortunately, I do. She's my ex-girlfriend," I answered ruefully.

"You're kidding, right?" Téa asked.

"No, he isn't. We had a wonderful relationship - until he became a champion duelist," Melissa explained.

"What do you have against dueling?" Joey asked defensively.

"Yeah, what else do you think Pegasus's company is based on?" Tristan added.

"That may be, but dueling is what ruined our relationship!" Melissa said angrily.

"No; your intolerance of my passion ruined our relationship," I countered.

"All I do know is that I'm going to correct your mistake…with this," she said, equipping a Dark Duel Disk to her left arm.

"No way! She's one of Thatehos's cultists?" Joey said in disbelief.

"Whoa, Melissa. I know you have feelings of resentment, but this is going too far! Don't you know what Thatehos is capable of?" I said, not believing it either.

"Yes: he can help me achieve my revenge," she said, obviously not caring.

"Looks like it's up to me to cure your brainwashing. If it's a duel you want, you got it, cult girl," I said, activating my own Duel Disk.

"Demetrios, no!" Lily said.

"Lily, what are you saying?" I asked with shock.

"You can't duel her! What if she has the Seal of Satan?" she said with great worry in her voice.

"Oh sure, take all the mystery out of life," Melissa said with annoyance.

"I don't care. You know how good I am. I'll beat her _before_ she can activate it," I said confidently.

"What if she does?" Lily asked.

"Here's a better idea: I'll duel _both_ of you," Melissa said. Both Lily and I looked at her incredulously.

"You want to duel both of us?" I asked.

"Of course. What better way to get revenge on the two people who hurt me beyond measure?" Melissa said, adjusting her Duel Disk so that her Life Points rose to 16000.

"Man, she needs a boyfriend," Joey said.

"You said it; she's insane," Tristan agreed.

"All right, Lily, we'll duel together," I said.

"I'll be right beside you," she said happily, and we prepared our own Duel Disks, setting our Life Points at 8000.

"Let's duel!" The three of us shouted at once.

"I'll go first," I said, drawing my first hand. It contained Gravity Axe - Grarl, Spiritual Energy Settle Machine, Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600), Cyber Dragon (2100/1600), and Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800).

"I'll start by summoning Beta the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode. I'll also lay a facedown card and end my turn," I said.

"That's all? What a shame. They said you were one of the best duelists around. Well at any rate, Demetrios, I'm going to show you the daughter we could have had. I summon White Magician Pikeru in Defense Mode! I'll also lay two cards facedown, but that's not all. As long as Pikeru remains on the field, I gain 400 more Life Points for every monster I have, including herself," Melissa said. A little girl wearing a white robe and a headdress in the shape of a ram's head (1200/0) and wielding a staff appeared on the field, crossing her arms defensively. When the two facedown cards appeared, Melissa's Life Points rose to 16400.

"Holy crap, you actually wanted kids?" I asked, astonished that she equated a Duel Monster with any potential children.

"Well you don't think we would have been just 'boyfriend & girlfriend' forever, now do you?" she said.

"Uh, I'm starting to think 'insane' was an understatement," Tristan said, also freaked out by the connotation.

"What's she thinking, equating a character from a card game with a real child?" Téa added.

"It's a pretty big leap for someone who started out _hating_ the game," Joey agreed.

"No Defense Points? This is too easy," Lily said confidently. She examined her hand, and saw that she drew Obnoxious Celtic Guard (1400/1200), Mefist the Infernal General (1800/1700), De-Spell, Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300), and Absorb Spell.

"I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard in Attack Mode, and he'll cut your magician in two!" Lily continued. The elven warrior appeared, and immediately charged toward Pikeru with his sword at the ready.

"That's what _you_ think. I activate the Trap Card, Negate Attack. Your elf won't be attacking anything," Melissa said. An invisible barrier stopped the Celtic Guardian where he was, and Melissa's monster was saved.

"All right, it's my turn again," I said, drawing a card. I got Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700).

"All right, I got two pieces of Valkyrion. I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode. Alpha, attack Pikeru!" I said. The second Magnet Warrior appeared and cut down Pikeru, removing Melissa's secret weapon.

"Beta, attack her Life Points directly!" I commanded. Beta did just that, and Melissa's Life Points dropped down to 14700.

"Good job, Demetrios!" Lily said.

"You bastard! You killed our daughter! No wonder I dumped you!" Melissa screamed.

"Take it easy, it's just a game. And for the record, _I_ broke up with you because you were disgustingly intolerant," I said.

"Well now I'll have my revenge. First I activate the Spell Card Graceful Charity. I just get rid of two cards and get three more," she said. She did just that.

"But that's not the only Spell Card I'll be using. I activate Monster Reborn and bring back White Magician Pikeru. Then I shall activate one of my facedown cards…the Seal of Satan!" she said, shouting the last part triumphantly. None of us could believe it. A fierce leopard made of unholy energy appeared next to Pikeru, and roared fiercely. Then it sank into the ground and turned into the ring that surrounded us. Just as with my duel with Valkorcan, a five-pointed star appeared in the ring, and the completed pentagram glowed fiercely with the powers of hell.

"I can't believe this, Melissa! Joining Thatehos's cult was bad enough, but you actually have _this_ card?" I said.

"Oh, quit your complaining. This card is the key that will allow me to have my revenge. And besides, I rather like what it does to me," Melissa replied. Again, like when I dueled Valkorcan, Melissa began to change. Her tan skin became very pale, and her brown hair turned black. Her waist became very small, and likewise her breasts grew until they were double-D sized. Her outfit changed as well. The velvet pants shrank and receded until they turned into a black silk thong. Her tube top turned black and modified until it turned into a black leather harness. A pair of shiny black silk arm warmers appeared on her arms, and her sandals turned into thigh-high leather boots. But her new threads weren't the only change. Black leathery wings, similar in shape to those of a bat, emerged from her back, and horns in the shape of scimitars grew out of her forehead. Her lips became as red as rubies, and she gained the scent of belladonna1. Melissa…turned into a succubus!

"Damn it, she's hot!" Joey said, ogling the modification.

"Weren't you just calling her 'insane' a minute go?" Téa asked with a sly smile.

"Hot, but moody," Joey said.

"Hmm, this is a surprise. I thought you liked beautiful women like me," Melissa said with a voice that felt as smooth as silk.

"That may be, but I _don't_ like insane fanatics like _you_," I said.

"You're going to eat those words when I trounce you with my dueling skills - and get my revenge. I'm not the only one who changes when the Seal of Satan is activated. Watch as my White Magician Pikeru turns into…_Black_ Magician Pikeru!" Melissa explained further. The girl's white robes turned black, and the ram-shaped headdress became more like that of a goat. She got an insane look on her face.

"That's not all that happens. She also gains 1000 more Attack and Defense Points," she said. Indeed, Pikeru's stats became 2200/1000.

"I'll also be summoning Pikeru's evil but nonetheless helpful sister, Ebon Magician Curran! Sure she won't transform since she's already a Dark Attribute monster, but she'll still get the much-needed boost," she said. Another little girl, but wearing a small black dress and a headband with the ears of a rabbit and a short but nonetheless deadly whip (1200/0) appeared, and suddenly her stats also rose to 2200/1000.

"And now I'll dispense the pain on _both_ of you! Pikeru, destroy Alpha!" she said. The now befouled child unleashed a stream of dark magic from her staff, which broke the Magnet Warrior into hundreds of pieces, and my Life Points dropped to 7200.

"Curran, destroy the Celtic Guardian!" she continued. Curran cracked her whip, but thankfully the elven warrior wasn't destroyed.

"What? My attack didn't go through?" Melissa said in shock.

"Didn't your master teach you anything about dueling? Obnoxious Celtic Guardian can't be destroyed in battle, though I still take the damage," Lily explained as her own Life Points dropped to 7200 as well.

"Well you so-called experts are still not safe, because as long as Curran is on the field, you both lose 300 Life Points for every monster on the field - and you both have one each, so pay up," Melissa retorted. Just as she said, both of our Life Points dropped to 6900. "In the meantime, my own score goes up by 600 points."

"600? But White Magician Pikeru can only give you _400_ Life Points," Yugi explained.

"Correction: she _used_ to only give me 400 Life Points, but one of the cards I discarded with Graceful Charity was Marie the Fallen One, so I get an additional 200," the succubus explained. True to what she said, her Life Points rose to 15300.

"She's insane! How can they get her Life Points down with a combo like that?" Tristan said.

"Don't worry, Tristan; the duel's just started, and those two are not going to give up just yet," Yugi said.

"He's right. I can't give up now, not when there's so much on the line," I said.

"I'm right here with you, Demetrios. Let's show this demonic slut how we really duel," Lily said, drawing a card. She got Shield and Sword.

"I activate another Spell Card: Shield and Sword. Now all our monsters' stats switch," she explained. She activated it, and the Attack and Defense Points of Beta the Magnet Warrior, Obnoxious Celtic Guard, Ebon Magician Curran and Black Magician Pikeru respectively became 1600/1700, 1200/1400, 1000/2200 and 1000/2200.

"Now your little brats are vulnerable. Celtic Guard, destroy the Ebon Magician!" Lily said. The warrior charged again, ready to strike.

"Not so fast! I activate the Trap Card, Elemental Absorber!" Melissa said. Suddenly, a domed machine with six spikes on it appeared.

What? How did a rookie like her get a card that rare? I wondered.

"You're kidding!" Lily said.

"I'm not, and I'll prove it. I remove The Unfriendly Amazon from play, and now you can't attack with any Earth Attribute monsters!" Melissa said with a haughty laugh. The machine spun, while in front of it glowed the alchemical symbol for the element of the Earth: a yellow upside-down triangle with a line through it. A great wall of rock shot up through the ground, and the attack of Obnoxious Celtic Guard was blocked. One of the machine's spikes glowed yellow as well. The turn ended, and our monsters' stats returned to normal.

"She's going out of her way!" Lily said.

"I hope I can penetrate it," I said as I drew a card: Monster Reborn.

"All right, prepare for one of my best monsters. I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode, and I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Alpha, and now I'll combine them to create…Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" I said. The two Magnet Warriors appeared, and upon doing so, they split apart and combined together to create the great monster (3500/3850).

"Hey Yug, don't you have one of those?" Joey asked.

"Yeah. Demetrios has good taste in monsters," Yugi said.

"Yeah, but he's not being very strategic right now," Téa said.

"Valkyrion, destroy Pikeru!" I said.

"What part of 'you can't attack with any Earth Attribute monsters' don't you understand?" Melissa said. The wall of rock shot up again and blocked my attack as well.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm. You may be a lousy duelist, Demetrios, but you were terrific in the bedroom," Melissa said as she started seductively waving her hips.

"Will you just get over it? It's over between us!" I said angrily.

"With a temper like that, no wonder," she taunted as she drew a card.

"I summon Fire Princess in Attack Mode, but she won't be around for long, as the Seal of Satan turns her into _Hellfire_ Princess!" Melissa said. A beautiful woman wearing a fiery-red dress and graciously holding a staff in her hand (1300/1500) appeared on the field, but the unholy magic changed her as well. Her dress became more sexually provocative, and the head of a demon appeared on her staff. Her Attack and Defense Points also rose to 2300/2500.

"And here's the best part: when I _gain_ Life Points, you _lose_ them, thanks to my Hellfire Princess. Normally, you'd lose 500, but since I have _two_ restorative cards, it becomes 1000. And since I also have Ebon Magician Curran, it becomes 1300!" the succubus said with a sadistic chuckle.

"But why stop there? Demetrios, I'm going to have a little fun…and kill that girlfriend of yours! Ladies, attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" All three corrupted monsters attacked the warrior at once, and Lily's Life Points dropped to 4400!

"Melissa, what do you think you're doing?" I said.

"What I've always wanted to do: take back what's rightfully mine, and that would be you. Now my turn ends, but not before my girls do their tricks," Melissa answered. Her Life Points rose to 15900, and Lily's and mine respectively dropped to 3100 and 5600.

"This is horrible…" Téa said. Joey nodded in agreement.

"I can't let this go on any longer," I said, drawing another card: Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi (2800/2900).

"I'll start by turning Valkyrion the Magna Warrior back into Alpha, Beta, and Gamma," I said. The colossus undid itself, and the three Magna Warriors appeared back on the field. "Then I'll sacrifice Alpha and Beta to summon Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi! And since he's a Spirit Monster, I activate the Spell Card Spiritual Energy Settle Machine!" Two of the Warriors disappeared and the fiery muscleman appeared in their place, ready for battle.

"Destroy the Hellfire Princess!" I said.

"Once again, you're mistaken. I remove Fire Sorcerer from play, and once again I activate Elemental Absorber!" Melissa said. The machine spun once again, and this time the alchemical symbol for fire appeared: a simple red triangle. Another of the spikes glowed red, and once again my attack was blocked. A wall of fire erupted from the ground, rendering the flames of Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi useless. Since my turn was obviously finished, I discarded Cyber Dragon to the Graveyard to keep the Settle Machine on the field.

"You might as well have tried attacking with a bunch of ashes," Melissa taunted.

"Geez; for someone who wants you back so badly, she's not very nice," Téa said.

"No kidding. All I do know is we've got to stop that machine from absorbing any more elements," I said.

"Good luck with that. You can't stop me or my army of demonic girls. Hellfire Princess, destroy his remaining Magnet Warrior!" she said. The princess unleashed a stream of hellfire at Gamma, destroying it quickly. Thankfully, I put it in Defense Mode when I re-summoned it.

"For now, I'll let my teammates do their tricks again," she said. The Hellfire Princess, Black Magician Pikeru and Ebon Magician Curran did so. Melissa's Life Points rose to 16500, and ours dropped to 4300 (me) and 1800 (Lily).

"I have to stop it!" Lily said as she got back up. The pain from the Seal of Satan was starting to get unbearable. She drew a card, and got Remove Trap.

"Time to turn off your Elemental Absorber, Melissa. First I switch Obnoxious Celtic Guard to Defense Mode, and next I'll activate Remove Trap. I think this card explains itself," she said. The machine short-circuited and fell to the ground, sparks flying off of it.

"Nice job, Lily!" I said.

"Thank you," she answered, winking at me affectionately.

"You tramp!" she said.

"Look who's talking," I said as I drew another card. It was Guardian Grarl (2500/1000).

"I activate a Spell Card of my own: Gravity Axe. And since he's the only monster in my hand, I can now summon Guardian Grarl!" I said. A massive and ferocious-looking battle axe that glowed with celestial energy fell from the sky and sliced into the ground, and then a fierce half man, half dinosaur creature appeared and picked it up. When he did, his Attack Points rose to 3000.

"All right then. Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack the Hellfire Princess again! Grarl, destroy Pikeru!" I ordered. The fire spirit punched the demoness, destroying her and reducing Melissa's Life Points to 16000. Grarl followed and decapitated the corrupted girl, reducing the succubus's Life Points further to 15200. Unfortunately, I had no cards left to discard, so Spiritual Energy Settle Machine was destroyed, and Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi returned to my hand.

"Hmm, I guess for Pikeru, the Card Graveyard is like the Hotel California: she can check out any time, but she can _never_ leave," I said with a confident smile.

"You may have won the _battle_, but _I'll_ win the _war_. I switch Ebon Magician Curran to Defense Mode," Melissa said. Since Marie was still in her Graveyard and Curran was still on the field, Melissa's Life Points rose to 15400 and our Life Points dropped to 5300 (me) and 2800 (Lily).

"How about a _surprise_ attack?" Lily said as she drew another card from her Deck. She saw that she got Graceful Dice.

"I sacrifice Obnoxious Celtic Guard and summon Mefist the Infernal General in his place. I also activate the Spell Card Graceful Dice," Lily said. The elven warrior disappeared, and a dark knight riding a demonic horse and wielding a vicious halberd appeared in his place. Then a small angel holding a giant blue die appeared next to him. The angel dropped it, and it span around on the ground. All of us looked at it, hoping it would land on a high number. It stopped, and it came up 4.

"All right! Mefist gets 400 more Attack Points!" Lily said. The demon's halberd glowed with energy, and his Attack Points became 2200.

"Now trample that little brat!" she commanded. Actually, Mefist cut down Curran with his halberd, destroying her easily.

"And here's the best part: when Mefist attacks a monster in Defense Mode, the extra damage goes to you, Melissa," Lily explained further. Indeed, her Life Points fell to 14200.

"Good. The closer they get her Life Points to zero, the better," Joey said.

"You can say that again," Tristan agreed.

"And we'll get them even closer, now that it's my turn again," I said, drawing another card. I got Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300).

"Well, Melissa, you're not the only one with cards of beautiful women. I summon Cyber Harpie Lady in Attack Mode," I said. The lovely bird woman appeared on the field, ready for action.

"Cyber Harpie Lady, Guardian Grarl, attack her Life Points directly!" I ordered. They both did so, and Melissa's Life Points were knocked down to 9400!

"All right! It's not a five-digit number anymore!" Téa said.

"They're going to do it," Yugi said confidently.

"Oh no, they're not. I summon Amazoness Swordswoman in Attack Mode!" Melissa said. A muscular woman with wild hair and a large sword (1500/1600) appeared on the field. The transformation started to change her as well. She suddenly got covered in a dominatrix costume (though the sword remained), and her Attack and Defense Points became 2500/2600.

"Melissa, what are you thinking? This is a duel, not an S&M convention," I said, weirded out by the Amazon's new outfit.

"If it helps me defeat you and rekindle our relationship, it'll be worth it. Demon Seductress Swordswoman, show his Cyber Harpie Lady a good cat-fight: the _permanent_ kind," Melissa said slyly. The dominatrix attacked and destroyed Cyber Harpie Lady, making my Life Points 4600. Her Life Points increased again to 9600.

"Quite the comeback," Lily said. She drew another card: X-Head Cannon (1800/1500).

"I summon X-Head Cannon in Defense Mode, and switch Mefist to Defense as well," she said. Both monsters assumed defensive positions.

"Allow me," I said, drawing a card: Dragon Revival Ritual. This could really come in handy, but unfortunately not until later. I only had two elements for it.

"It seems that you set them up, and I knock them down. Grarl, attack!" I said. The dinosaur-man attacked again, killing the S&M girl and reducing Melissa's Life Points further to 9100.

"I don't think so. I summon Amazoness Fighter - I mean, Demon Seductress Fighter - in Attack Mode, along with a facedown card!" she said. An Amazon wearing boxing gloves (1300/1300) appeared on the field, and then also turned into a dominatrix, with stats of 2300/2300.

"Demon Seductress Fighter, punch the crap out of Mefist!" Melissa ordered. The fighter/dominatrix punched Mefist square in the jaw, destroying him easily. Thankfully, he was in Defense Mode. Melissa's Life Points increased to 9300.

"I hope this is one of the others," Lily said as she drew again. The card turned out to be…Card Destruction.

"I summon Z-Metal Tank in Defense Mode, and activate the Spell Card, Card Destruction. Now we both discard our whole hands and draw the same number we discarded," she explained. Melissa grumbled as she did so. Lily drew Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600) and Pot of Greed.

"Well, it seems that I get two _more_ cards, because I activate Pot of Greed," she said, glad with her providence. She drew again, and got V-Tiger Jet (1600/1800) and Reverse Trap.

"I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn," she concluded.

"Just a few more hits and we'll defeat her," I said, drawing a card again. I drew Gagagigo (1850/1000). I was about to summon him, but then I thought about the facedown card she had. Was it a Trap? Deciding to keep Gagagigo in my hand, I decided to test with Grarl.

"Guardian Grarl, attack the Demon Seductress Fighter!" I ordered. Grarl charged toward her, ready to decapitate.

"Not so fast! I activate Amazoness Archers!" Melissa said. The trap activated, and a storm of arrows flew toward Lily and my monsters! Guardian Grarl, X-Head Cannon, and Z-Metal Tank's respective Attack Points dropped to 2500, 1300, and 1000.

"And now, you all attack," Melissa said. Suddenly, her confident smile disappeared when she realized what would happen as a result. Guardian Grarl attacked the Fighter, and destroyed her, though because of her effect, the attack didn't count against Melissa's Life Points. However, they _did_ get reduced when X-Head Cannon and Z-Metal Tank attacked. Despite the reduction in their Attack Points, they knocked the succubus down to 7000. This time, she did not look relieved even though her Life Points rose to 7200.

"I'm not done yet. I summon Y-Dragon Head in Attack Mode, and now for the beauty part. I remove all three of them from play to summon the XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" Lily declared. Just like when she dueled Graveshade, the three machines combined and became the ultra-powerful tank (2800/2600). "And this will _also_ attack your Life Points directly." All cannons on the tank fired at full power, reducing Melissa's Life Points further to 4400.

"All right, they're doing it!" Yugi said, laughing with triumph.

"And that was just the tip of the iceberg," I said, drawing another card: The Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200). I couldn't summon him, so I would have to settle.

"Guardian Grarl, attack her again!" I said. The dinosaur/man attacked Melissa directly, and brought her down to 1900 Life Points! I was quite confident that we could finally defeat her - and get her out of my life.

"That dinosaur of yours has caused me enough trouble. That's why I summon Amazoness Paladin in Attack Mode, or should I say, Demon Seductress Dark Paladin," Melissa said. A most beautiful girl wielding a thin but strong long sword (1700/300) appeared on the field. Just like the other Amazons, she suddenly gained a dominatrix outfit, and her stats increased to 2700/1300.

"And that's not all. She gains 100 Attack Points for every Amazoness, or in this case, Demon Seductress, on the field, including herself," she explained. The dominatrix's sword glowed, and her Attack Points rose again to 2800.

"Now show Demetrios how the dinosaurs became extinct!" Melissa ordered. The corrupted Amazon slashed across Grarl's chest, killing him and reducing my Life Points to 4300. Her Life Points, on the other hand, increased to 2100. Lily drew another card, and got Guardian Elma (1300/1200). Unfortunately, she had to skip her turn because of her and Melissa's monsters having equal Attack Points. I drew again, and got another Cyber Dragon.

"I summon Cyber Dragon in Defense Mode, and that's all I can do," I said ruefully, because for once I didn't have a powerful monster.

"That's the best you can do? Well I summon Amazoness Tiger in Attack Mode!" Melissa said. A fierce Bengal tiger (1100/1500) appeared, but then, it underwent the most horrifying transformation any of us had ever seen! It changed from a tiger…into some kind of demon! It looked like a combination of a dire wolf and some kind of carnivorous dinosaur - and judging from the two bony crests emerging from its head, it was probably _Dilophosaurus_. Its orange and black-striped fur was replaced with blood-red lizard-like scales. Its Attack and Defense Points increased to 2100/2500. But because of its affiliation with the Amazons (or on this case, the Demon Seductresses), its Attack Points rose again to 2500. When it transformed completely, it roared at Lily and me ferociously.

"What the hell is that?" Joey asked in shock.

"It's hideous!" Téa said in disgust.

"Yes, and it's going to get me my victory. Hellhound of the Demon Seductresses, destroy his Cyber Dragon!" Melissa ordered. The demon lunged forward with unnatural ferocity, unseen even in the Earth's most powerful predators, and destroyed Cyber Dragon with one swipe of its claws.

"The best is yet to come. When the Demon Seductresses' Hellhound is on the field, you can't attack any other Demon Seductresses but it," Melissa explained as her Life Points increased to 2300.

"Then allow me," Lily said as she drew a card again; she saw that she drew Sinister Justice. "I activate the Spell Card, Sinister Justice, and believe me, it _is_ sinister…for you. Whenever I attack, I get 800 more Life Points. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, destroy the Hellhound!" Lily ordered. The cannons fired again, killing the demon the proud tiger turned into, and reduced Melissa's Life Points to 2000 while her own increased to 3600. My turn again, I drew another card, hoping this draw would bring better providence. It didn't, really: Black Tyranno (2600/1800). Great. All these powerful monsters and nothing to summon them with.

"Lily?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"If I need to, would you be willing to lend me one of your monsters for one of my Rituals?" I asked.

"Yes. What's mine is yours, my love," Lily said. I appreciated hearing that. I skipped my turn again.

"That's all? I heard you were one of the best duelists in America - maybe even the world. You're actually quite pathetic! Demon Seductress Paladin, attack his Life Points directly!" Melissa ordered. The dominatrix attacked, and my Life Points went down to 1500.

"That's not all I'm doing. Maybe this will snap you out of that pathetic streak you're on. I activate my second Monster Reborn, and bring back Amazoness Tiger - actually Hellhound of the Demon Seductresses, and I'll sacrifice them both to summon…the Cosmo Queen!" Melissa said. The tiger appeared back on the field and turned back into the demon, and then both it and the dark paladin disappeared and were replaced with…a beautiful queen wearing a red robe and a ridiculously large crown (2900/2450). Since she was already a DARK Attribute monster, she didn't transform, but her Attack and Defense Points increased to 3900/3450.

"Cosmo Queen, attack Lily's toy and show no mercy!" Melissa ordered. The Cosmo Queen unleashed a great barrage of celestial power, utterly destroying XYZ-Dragon Cannon and reducing Lily's Life Points to 2500. However, even though she only lost 1100 Life Points, she was in so much pain she collapsed. None of us could believe what had happened. All I remember is that something dark erupted inside of me.

"Is she…" Tristan began.

"I don't know," Téa answered, unsure of it as well.

"Well, there goes the competition. Now you and I can be together forever, Demetrios," Melissa said with sadistic happiness.

"Shut up!" I roared.

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong," she said slyly.

"No one, and I mean _no one_ threatens the woman I love! I'll kill you for what you've done to her!" I shouted with utmost anger.

"Oh, please. She's just some slut. An intelligent person like you shouldn't be giving her the time of day," Melissa said.

"You're going to pay for that, demon whore! And I'll start by drawing another card. And this one will be your death!" I said, drawing a card. It was…Megamorph! Just what I needed.

"First, I activate the ultimate Ritual Spell Card…Dragon Revival Ritual!" I said. Yugi and company gasped when they heard the name.

"What? Wasn't that one of the cards the Big 5 used?" Joey asked.

"Yeah. They almost killed us with it," Yugi answered.

"I didn't know it was mass-produced," Téa said. I activated the card, and suddenly, five monsters appeared on the field: Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, Guardian Elma, Black Tyranno, Gagagigo, and The Fiend Megacyber.

"Combine together and become the death of Melissa!" I shouted again. Each of them got consumed by a column of their natural element, and an animal appeared for each one. Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi was enclosed in fire, and a great red dragon appeared. Guardian Elma was obscured by the winds, and a golden eagle came. Black Tyranno was consumed by a column of the Earth itself, and a lion arrived in front of it. Gagagigo was covered in a column of water, and a blue whale came forth. The Fiend Megacyber was swallowed by darkness, and a great demon appeared. All five columns rose skyward, and a massive explosion of power occurred. When the smoke cleared…the Five-God Dragon stood in front of me. Its enormous muscular body was covered in gold scales as hard as steel. Huge claws emerged threateningly from its hands and feet, and its wings were truly enormous. It had five heads: a blue one on the far right, a head made completely of fire next to it, a gold one in the middle, a black one next to it, and a head covered with metal scales on the far right. It was truly impressive, and rightly so, with its 5000 points of Attack and Defense.

"Now this is really déjà vu," Joey said.

"No kidding," Yugi agreed.

"Uh, sorry about the slut joke?" Melissa said weakly.

"Don't waste my time with lies, succubus. I activate another Spell Card: Megamorph! Since my Life Points are lower than yours, my Dragon's Attack Points _double_!" I explained. Melissa looked very worried as the dragon's already impressive Attack Points rose all the way to 10000!

"Five-God Dragon, destroy Cosmo Queen and end this duel for Lily!" I shouted. All five heads breathed the elements that combined them: fire, wind, earth, water, and darkness. Cosmo Queen was completely obliterated by all of them, and not only was she destroyed, Melissa's Life Points crashed from 2200 to 0!

"Your madness ends here, Melissa!" I said.

"No! No, no, no!" Melissa said in a panic. Her panic was well-founded. The Seal of Satan shrank around her, and the portal to hell opened up beneath her. She started to get pulled in…but she held on to the solid ground!

"Demetrios, please don't do this to me! I may be your ex-girlfriend, but please don't kill me! I beg of you!" she said. I would hear none of it.

"I said no one threatens the woman I love - Lily," I said, and I unsheathed the sword Shandara gave me. I charged toward Melissa and stabbed her in the head with the awesome weapon. As we stood there, her blue eyes went blank, and she fell into the portal, never to be seen again.

It was after that when I regained my composure. I fell to the ground, taking deep long breaths, and could hardly see straight. Everyone gathered around me.

"Demetrios, are you all right?" Joey asked.

"You dueled like a crazy man back there," Tristan said. I heard some stirring behind me.

"Hey, I think Lily's coming to!" Téa said. I smiled as I heard that good news, and then collapsed with exhaustion.

I dreamt, and saw Shandara again.

"Well done, Demetrios. Thanks to your efforts, nine of Thatehos's cultists are now gone," she said, politely curtsying.

"Nine? But Lily and I only dueled seven of them, plus Joey dueled Maledict," I said.

"Seto Kaiba soundly defeated the Blood Knight Sir Aiakelotho. Though I must say you did pull out all the stops when you dueled Melissa," she said.

"Well, she did hurt Lily," I reasoned.

"Yes, but you acted as fanatical as the cultists you are supposed to be defeating," Shandara said disapprovingly. I looked away, ashamed of myself.

"But despite your rage, you did do a good deed by defeating one of Thatehos's cultists. And thus, I give you a card you must use when you finally duel him," she said, extending her hand and showing a card to me. I took it, but looked a little disappointed when I saw it was blank.

"Shandara, not to sound ungrateful, but how am I supposed to use this card? It's blank," I said.

"Fear not; you'll be able to see its true power when the time is right," she said.

"When is that?" I asked.

"You will know soon enough," she said. I didn't like the sound of that, and suddenly I woke up. We were back at Yugi's house above Solomon's game shop, and I found myself sleeping on the couch. I saw Lily sleeping peacefully on the one opposite mine. I smiled as I saw her. I don't know how long I watched her sleep.

"You really love her, don't you?" someone asked. I gasped and blushed, and looked behind me and saw Téa watching me watch Lily.

"Yeah, I do. What gave you the idea?" I whispered with a chuckle.

"Well, you did go nuts when Melissa attacked her," she said.

"Yeah, that's true," I said, not liking that particular memory. She sat on the coffee table.

"If you don't mind my asking, how did you two meet?" she asked.

"It was a while after I broke up with Melissa, and I was starting to get insufferably lonely. Even though I was a good duelist and had a lot of screaming fan-girls after me, I thought I'd only like _one_ girlfriend," I said. Téa smiled with admiration.

"You don't see a lot of guys like that these days. If Joey or Tristan were in your shoes, he'd probably date every one of those girls," Téa said laughing. "Then again, Joey does have Mai."

"True, but I didn't know which one I wanted to be with, so I made a wager: if one of those girls could beat me in a duel, then she'd be the one I'd be with," I continued.

"Sounds like a tough bet," she said.

"It was. My excellent skills and powerful monsters helped me before, but then they were a hindrance. After defeating one fan-girl after another, I soon realized that if one didn't defeat _me_, I'd be a bachelor for life. Then, _she_ showed up," I said.

"So Lily defeated you?" she asked.

"Yes. She was different from the others: she thought on her feet and didn't back down once. We both dueled at our best, and she won not only the duel, but also my heart," I said, liking that memory.

"Well, I'm glad you found true love at last. Though no offense, but I still can't believe you dated that psycho Melissa," Téa said.

"I know. After the breakup, I couldn't believe it either. Those horrible changes she underwent outshone all the _good_ things she did. I never wanted to see her again," I said.

"Yeah. I must say I like Lily much better," she said with a smile, which I joined in.

"I couldn't agree more. Well, I'm going to get some sleep. I need all the energy I can afford to defeat Thatehos," I said.

"Agreed," she said. We said our "good nights" and I drifted back to sleep. As I did, Lily opened one of her blue eyes and smiled at me.

"I love you too," she whispered, and drifted back to sleep.

However, while _I_ was sleeping peacefully, Thatehos's mind kicked in. He sensed that Melissa, and thus another of his elite cultists, was sent to hell.

"No, this can't be! How can those brats keep defeating my followers! I must discuss this with the Emperor," he said. He went to the prayer chamber and knelt before the statue of Satan.

"O Spirit of Darkness, the Knight and the Sorceress have defeated another of my cultists. We may have underestimated their powers. Please, answer me, Your Majesty, what must I do to destroy them and bring your glory to this wretched planet?" he asked. The statue opened its eyes, opening portals of hate and despair.

"There is a way that not even they can overcome. There is a spell so vile that even experienced warlocks fear it," the statue said, and then closed its eyes and became inactive again. Thatehos thought about it for a minute, and then realized what the Dark Lord meant.

"Of course…the Curse of Dark Genocide. _Nothing_ can overcome that. Why didn't I think of that sooner?" the unholy arch-mage said, and smiled sinisterly about his dark plan.

1Deadly nightshade


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI

Curse of Darkness

"What? What do you mean he just left?" Joey asked with shock.

"That's what I said. I couldn't find him or Lily this morning. Moon Shadow wasn't there either," Téa explained.

"What was he thinking? Without us, Thatehos will rip him to pieces," Tristan said.

"Then there's no time to lose. We have to catch up with him!" Yugi added.

"Agreed," Téa said.

Meanwhile, Lily and I were heading to Thatehos's monastery. I was riding Moon Shadow while Lily walked alongside me on foot. We had left surreptitiously at daybreak.

"Demetrios, I have a bad feeling about this. We know how powerful these cultists are; we can't go about this alone," Lily said, trying to reason with me.

"I don't care. We have to attack Thatehos _now_ while his forces are crippled," I answered.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Lily whispered, clearly worried about me.

At the very monastery I was headed to, a dark ritual was being prepared. On the floor in front of the altar, a black pentagram was drawn on the ground, with candles placed at each point. Eerily, the candles burned with black flames instead of the natural yellow. Two of the remaining three cultists wore blood red robes; the third wore one as black as night, as well as a cowl that concealed his face. Thatehos himself once again wore the dragon's skull on his head. He looked fiercely determined to enact the ritual. The orb in his staff glowed brightly. In his other hand, he held a sharp kris made from a demon's tooth.

"Is everything ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Lord. We are ready to commence the spell," said the black-cloaked cultist.

"Dijumia, fly out and pay Demetrios a surprise visit," the warlock suggested with a sadistic edge to his voice.

"At once, my Lord," Dijumia said with a dark enthusiasm, flying out of the monastery as quickly as his wings could carry him.

"And now, to kill my enemies and bring the Dark Lord's plan to fruition," Thatehos whispered, stepping into the center of the pentagram. He still felt foolish about not doing this sooner, but quickly banished such thoughts from his mind; he needed to think clearly now. The three cultists formed a triangle around him, and suddenly the candles' flames grew in heat and intensity. The cultists put their hands together in prayer, and Thatehos began to chant.

"Great Spirits of Darkness,

I summon thee from the darkest depths of the Infernal Realm.

I call upon your unholy powers

To destroy my enemies

And grant me power unconquerable.

Lust, Gluttony,

Greed, Sloth,

Wrath, Envy, and Pride." With the names of the Seven Deadly Sins, the torches in the temple roared with dark hellfire, and the candles quickly melted into puddles of black wax and erupted into small but intense jets of flame.

"Spirits of Darkness, I offer unto thee my consecrated blood

In return for your destruction of my enemies." Thatehos then took the kris and cut open the palm of his left hand. He squeezed his hand and seven drops of blood poured onto the center of the pentagram. The orb on his staff glowed with incredible brightness, and Thatehos's remaining eye glowed bright red. The pentagram began to glow intensely as well, changing colors between black and red. An array of evil spirits burst forth and flew around the ritual chamber. The air blew as fierce winds around the room, but the cultists stood strong.

"Famine, Conquest, War, and Death!

Spirits of Darkness, unleash your unholy powers!

Show my enemies endless torment!

Show them suffering beyond imagining!

Show them the fury of Hell

And the Power of the Dark Emperor!" Thatehos shouted the last part of the spell as loudly as he could. Suddenly, an explosion of arcane power erupted from his person, sending shockwaves from the monastery that were so powerful that the trees were easily toppled and the dead and diseased plants were swept away effortlessly.

Lily and I felt the explosion.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said, though I could suddenly feel something strangely painful within me.

"Eh, Lily, I don't feel very good," I said. Suddenly, Moon Shadow reared and neighed with severe panic!

"Moon Shadow, what are -" I began, but my horse threw me off of his back and ran off into the wilderness with utmost fear.

"Where are you -" I began again, but the pain suddenly became so great that I fell to my knees!

"Demetrios!" Lily said with shock. I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe, and my heartbeat was getting very fast.

"Lily, stay back!" I said, not wanting her to get hurt. Defiantly, she wrapped her arms tightly around me.

"It's all right, I'm here," she said, trying to hide her own fear.

"I don't -" I tried to say, but that's all I could have said because my vision was starting to turn red and I could taste blood in my mouth. Despite my intense pain, I managed to bring my hand to my mouth - and what I felt and then saw confirmed it. Blood was profusely oozing out of my mouth, nose, and even my eyes! It was even starting to come out of my ears! I then started screaming in pain because more blood was pouring out of my anus and even my penis! The pain was too much! Lily continued to hold tight, saying more soothing words in the hopes that they alone would stop whatever was happening to me.

What we didn't know about what was happening _in_ my body. An extremely poisonous demonic bile was _replacing_ my blood; replacing it by _pushing it out of my body_. It was tearing away at my lungs and making my heart beat faster and faster, up to _dangerous_ speeds!

The effect it was having on my mind was just as painful, if not worse. I started seeing…things. Most horrible things, that shouldn't be imagined. I saw an army of fishlike anthropoids, led by a gigantic creature, and a hideous toad-like gargoyle.

"Don't worry, I'll try something!" Lily said, although she couldn't resist her own panic. She tried every healing spell she could think of…but none of them worked!

"This can't be!" she said. I wish she could have done something, because I saw another horrible monster, with an octopus-like head and the wings of a dragon. Suddenly, Thatehos's servant, Dijumia, flew in.

"Ah, the hunt concludes," he said, tauntingly sticking out his forked tongue. I was overcome with fear.

"No! Go away!" I said, obviously in too much pain to fight him off.

"Leave us alone! Hasn't your master done enough?" Lily pleaded. She was preparing a spell in case her words weren't enough.

"I am _not_ leaving without my prey!" Dijumia said fiercely, and suddenly his eyes glowed - and Lily was caught in his vision! What I saw then was the most painful thing I ever saw in my entire life. Lily…began to petrify! She stood in shock as her body began to solidify…and crystallize! Her smooth silky tanned skin started to turn into ruby! The solidification was so quick that all I could see was the fear in her eyes and her last gasp before she was completely petrified! But the pain she underwent was nothing compared to the pain I was feeling.

"Lily, no!" I said in utter despair.

"How ironic. The hunters have become the hunted," Dijumia said as he landed and took the statue in his hands.

"No! I won't let you take her!" I said, gathering my last ounce of strength to try and fight off the reptile.

"Fuck you, weakling," he growled, and whipped my back with his tail as hard as he could. I was almost crippled from the blow; I swore I could have heard my spine shatter! The reptile then smiled sinisterly, and flew away with his prize…the ruby statue that was once my beloved Lily.

"Lily…no…" I said as tears started to flow from my bleeding eyes. All of a sudden, my heartbeat got so fast…that my heart literally _exploded_! I screamed at the top of my lungs from the severe pain!

I was not the only one feeling pain. Suddenly, Yugi and Joey were clutching their chests with pain as well!

"Yugi! Joey! What's happening?" Téa asked with horrified surprise.

"I don't know - but we're feeling a lot of pain," Joey said.

"Something's not right here," Tristan added.

"Do you…do you think something happened to Demetrios?" Yugi suggested.

"I knew we should have stopped him!" Tristan said.

"Then there's no time to waste! We have to find him!" Joey said, getting back up and running in the direction of the monastery.

"Joey, wait!" Yugi said, and the other three ran after him.

Seto Kaiba also felt the pain of my unholy attack.

"How can this be? Where is this pain coming from?" A look of begrudging humility appeared on his face. "I never thought I'd say this, but I need answers from Yugi!"

Meanwhile, after I screamed my last, I fell to the ground…dead. I was covered with blood, some of which on my face was mixed with my tears. This…is the end. My greatest defeat, and loss.


	12. Chapter 12

_A heads-up for my fellow fan-fic readers and writers; you might want to get a sandwich and some chips or popcorn, because this here is the longest chapter in the fic._

_On the plus side, there is an homage to the classic game Quake in here. Brownie points to the one who finds it. :)_

Chapter XII

Journey through the Dark Empire

Slowly but surely, I started to wake up. Wait, what? But…I was…killed. How could I just wake up, especially after all I went through? Unfortunately, those images were still clear in my head. My being cruelly killed by an unknown method, those frightening apparitions I saw in my mind's eye, and…Lily being turned into a statue. That one was the most painful. I couldn't put it out of my mind.

Though since those images were terrifying themselves, I was in for an even bigger shock when I _opened_ my eyes. I slowly opened them, as if rising from a deep sleep (though what I was through would suggest otherwise). Strangely, I seemed to be laying on hard, rocky ground. Wasn't I laying on soft grass a minute ago? I got up…and was utterly shocked at what I saw. I was no longer on the outskirts of Domino City, nor anywhere near the forests near Mt. Fuji. As a matter of fact, from the looks of it, I wasn't in Japan, period. I was…in Hell. Yes, believe it or not, I was in Hell. And it was just as terrifying as all the old stories suggested. The soil was an eerie dark red, and far ahead of me I could see pools of lava strewn along the foothills of jagged-looking mountains. Large tarantula-like spiders with red exoskeletons mingled amongst the rocks surrounding the hot pools. I myself was near another set of mountains. I looked skywards, and what was up there wasn't any more comforting. It would have looked like any other night sky on the Earth, but there were barely any stars, and I could see what I thought was a planetary ring. I also saw there were two moons. Well, more like one and a half. One of them, which was very dark, seemed to be only _half there_. It wasn't in any phase; it seemed that a large chunk of it exploded, leaving only a large crescent shape. The other one, which was full, was as red as blood. I was utterly horrified by what I saw.

But that wasn't the half of it, oh no. Suddenly, I thought of Lily. Now that I was in Hell…I could _never_ rescue her, and my homeworld…was doomed. These thoughts so flooded my mind that I fell to my knees and cried. It would seem that the poet Dante Alighieri was right: "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here".

"It's all right, there's no need to cry," said a mysterious voice, and my sobbing ended. Well actually, the voice wasn't _that_ mysterious. As a matter of fact, it sounded very cheerful, and undoubtedly female. That was when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I quickly turned around to see who it was. At that point, I knew I must have been going crazy. I saw, of all people, the Cure Mermaid! No, not the card; that was in my Deck. What I saw was the _actual_ mermaid depicted in the aforementioned card! I could recognize her pink fish-scale outfit and golden jewelry anywhere; after all, she has helped me out of innumerable jams. But she seemed somewhat different. For one, not only was she attractively tall (well, the tail was a little longer), but she was also semitransparent; I don't think any aquatic creature could survive in this place. But the most glaring change was…facially, she looked just like Lily! I couldn't believe it. Sure, the long wavy blonde hair and jewelry and pink scaly ears made her look different, but there was no mistaking it; that was Lily's face.

"Wh - who are you?" I asked, a little weirded out by this visit. The Cure Mermaid chuckled sweetly.

"Don't you recognize me? I'm the Cure Mermaid, and I've come to help you," she said, her gentle smile never leaving her face.

"Help me? But, how did you get here? _What_ are you, exactly?" I asked. She smiled again.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a Duel Spirit," she answered.

"'Duel Spirit'? What's that?"

"I'm glad you asked. We're spirits assigned to accompany and protect the duelists we trust the most. However, not all duelists have the power to even see their Spirits; you, on the other hand, are one of them," she explained.

"You trust me?" I asked, a little flattered by that.

"Yes; by always keeping me out of the Card Graveyard and never sacrificing me, you've more than earned my trust. In return, I have always helped you in even the tightest duels," she explained.

"Oh, I see. Well, how are you going to get me out of here?" I asked further.

"At the very north pole of this planet, there lies a gateway to other worlds. This will take you back to Earth. But there's a catch, no pun intended," she said with a laugh as she wiggled her fish tail. "You must defeat the demon that guards the gate to the portal."

"Thanks, I'll try," I said. The Mermaid happily smiled and disappeared.

"Looks like I'll have to get going," I said, as I could have been anywhere on this terrifying planet.

I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said the first part of my journey didn't go to well; it was Hell, after all. I was in a barren field surrounded by the mountains, but they were very distant so I had nothing to give myself cover with if any of Satan's soldiers saw me. True, I had my sword, but that was about it. If a squad or battalion found me, I would be done for. In addition to that, the heat was sweltering. If this is how hot this planet is at night, I can't imagine what it would be like in the daytime. Does Hell even _have_ a daytime? I didn't want to stick around to find out. That's when I heard it. A hideous sound, like a clicking and a hissing. Great. I've only been on my trip back to the Earth for 20 minutes and already there was a demon after me. I looked around…and saw nothing. Drawing my sword nonetheless, I continued onward…and there it was! It looked just like a centipede, but it was magnified to the size of an anaconda! It reared upward until it was many feet above me, and its fangs were starting to drip venom! I did _not_ want to take any chances with what its secret weapon would do. As soon as it lunged forward, I quickly and expertly cut its head off. The severed head and body writhed for a while as entomoid blood oozed forth. Just then I had a thought. There may be other such predators on this planet, and if they smelled a recently dead body, that would certainly draw their attention. I had to get out of there before I got off of one predator's plate only to end up on another's. I ran as quickly as I could, and luckily, I saw a dense forest on the horizon. That would provide better cover. In spite of that, though, what I didn't know was that I was being watched.

Back on the Earth, Yugi and company recovered from the mysterious pain they felt, and continued their search for Lily and me.

"Do you remember the way?" Tristan asked.

"What, you didn't bring the map?" Joey answered sarcastically. Actually, they were following Moon Shadow's footprints. However, what they found terrified them. They found my body lying motionless on the ground.

"Oh my god, it's Demetrios!" Yugi said, running forward. When they got closer, the three boys stopped and Téa gasped with horror as they saw that I was covered in blood. What especially shook them was the terrified look on my face, and the dried streams of tears and blood that marked it.

"Who could have done something like this?" Téa said, almost on the verge of tears herself.

"Thatehos…" Joey said darkly. Yugi reached out to close my eyes, but then something very bizarre happened.

"Look!" he said. They all looked in utmost shock and astonishment…as my body began to burn away, leaving nothing behind.

"This is horrible," Téa said.

"We have no choice, then. We have to stop Thatehos ourselves," Yugi said bravely.

"Yugi -" Tristan began, but Joey cut him off.

"He's right. If we don't stop him, then he'll kill us all," Joey added.

"Right. It's up to us now," Yugi added.

Shandara looked ponderously at the event from the treetops.

"I can't believe this. Thatehos actually used the Curse of Dark Genocide - and killed our hope. The prophecy said nothing about that," she said, equally unable to believe what she saw. Then she looked down at Yugi and Joey. "Our hope now lies with you, brave knights. Please, succeed where your general could not." A tear came to her blue eye.

Back in Hell, my trip through the forest wasn't much better than the field. Doubtless how you've read in the fairy tales, the dark forest has trees whose trunks look like they have faces on them? This was a lot worse. It looked like the trees were once _people_! Their bodies became the trunks of the trees, their arms became branches, and their faces were still very evident. I felt sorry for the people the trees used to be. I couldn't imagine how painful the transformation must have been. Adding to their pain was the creatures that were spinning webs between their branches. They looked like spiders, though I doubt any scientist would consider them spiders. They appeared to have small human faces, and six of their eight legs looked like human fingers! Having seen these abominations, I also hoped that I could leave this terrifying planet before I joined the eerie garden that laid before me. Just as I was thinking, I heard some sounds. It sounded like something - or someone - running through the forest. I knew it couldn't be another predator, since hunters usually don't make a whole lot of noise. Nevertheless, I kept my sword drawn. The sound kept getting closer. Preparing myself, I saw what was making it emerge from the trees. It was…a man! He was running so fast that he crashed into me, stopping him and pushing me some feet back. I saw that he was middle aged and very, very ragged, like he had been running from something. Then again, this was Hell, so he probably _was_ running from something.

"Please, sir, you've got to help me! They're after me!" he said in a panic, his voice sounding like he went for days without water. But who could drink anything on this horrifying planet?

"Who's after you?" I asked. Since we were both prisoners, I had no choice but to trust him.

"Them…the flying monkeys! They killed my friends! They're still after me!" he said.

"'Flying monkeys?'" I said with a hint of skepticism. I was in Hell; this was no time to be reminiscing about movies.

"You've got to believe me! They won't stop until I'm dead! You have to help me!" he pleaded.

"All right, I'll help you," I said, though a part of me was a little skeptical. The stories always said that Hell was the place the bad people go when they die. So was this guy going to stab me in the back once I was done protecting him? Then again, I was also in Hell - against my will, I should add, though - and this man's fear did look authentic, so perhaps he was on to something. The forest suddenly went very quiet as we heard for the prisoner's predators. Suddenly, I could hear the flapping of wings, albeit very faintly.

"They're coming!" the man said with utmost fear.

"Get behind me," I said, and he complied. It was then that I saw them. There was a whole pack of the simian hunters flying toward us. Their fur was gray and their wings looked like those of either golden eagles or great horned owls. In their hands I could see crude stone knives and short spears. More incredibly, they were the skulls of their past victims on their heads as helmets, and they were decorated with blades of red grass! As they spotted us, they started chattering with hungry and determined yelps and screams. In spite of the intimidating number of the hunters, I raised my sword and stood my ground.

"Run!" the man behind me said in a panic, the familiar but nonetheless unwelcome fear returning to him.

"No! I'm ending their chase!" I bravely answered. The first two flying monkeys descended upon me, their spears ready to stab, but I quickly cut them down. Two more attempted to carry the man off!

"Help!" he shouted.

"I got it!" I said. One with a stone knife grabbed onto my shoulders and was about to slash my throat, but I punched him off. I stabbed one of the monkeys holding the man through the back and threw the other one into a tree. All of a sudden, a couple of them pull my sword right out of my hands! Thinking quickly, I pulled down on it, cutting the thieves' hands in the process, and with one quick swipe I killed them. The two that I stunned suddenly came to and resumed their attacks. With another fast attack I cut them down before they could carry the man off. The biggest one, probably the leader of the hunting party, quickly swooped down on me started slashing me with its dagger with savage speed and ferocity! Despite the pain I was feeling and the blood oozing down my chest, I had to fight back. In my rage, I reached out and grabbed the monkey's wings, and with all my might, tore them off of the animal's back as a body builder tears a phone book! The monkey let out a furious howl and fell to the ground in a pained stun. Using this advantage, I pointed my sword downward and drove it through the monkey's head, helmet and all. It died instantly. Returning to my senses and calming down, I looked around as I fell to the ground with exhaustion. The flying monkeys who tormented the man who just ran into me ten minutes ago were now dead.

"I never liked that movie anyway," I said. As I looked upward, though, I saw something rather unsettling. There was another winged creature up amongst the dark branches, but it wasn't another flying monkey. It was some kind of black eagle. It certainly wasn't like the black eagles commonly found in Africa and Asia. This one was the size of the legendary Haast's Eagle, and it had blood red eyes. It was looking at me with keen interest as it ate one of the demonic spiders. Strangely, it didn't move toward me at all. Anyway, the man took hold of my free hand in his own.

"Thank you, my friend! You have released me from unimaginable torment," he said happily.

"Your welcome. Would you happen to know the way to the portal?" I asked. From the looks of it, he didn't want to be here anymore than I did. Come to think of it, who'd want to be here anyway?

"I'm not sure. I've been looking for it myself, but to no avail. However, there's a town on the other side of this forest. They'll probably be able to help you better than I could," he said. I was confused by the answer he gave. A town? If no one wanted to be here, then why would there be settlements? Hopefully he wasn't leading me on and sending me to a town of _demonic_ inhabitants.

"Are you sure they're human?" I asked with suspicion.

"I'm sure. They're humans, and elves, and dwarves. Even a half-giant or two," he said. I was really confused now. I came from the Earth, not _Middle_-earth.

"Okay, but just to make sure, I want you to lead the way," I said.

"Anything for the man who saved my life. I assure you I'm telling the truth," he answered, and started walking. Now that he was no longer chased, he saw no reason to run. But the answer he gave got me thinking. Were all of Hell's inhabitants bad? Were there other people who got sent here against their wills as well? And how could there be other races here? And what was with the eagle I saw? This was all very confusing. Hopefully they could help me out.

The forest seemed to go on forever. I couldn't see the edge of it anywhere. I was hoping we would come to the end of it soon; the trees that used to be people were depressing to see, especially in such large numbers, and the bizarre spiders that spun their webs amongst them only added insult to injury. I was also hoping my companion was leading me in the right direction. What a great time to not have a compass. Then again, would a man-made compass work on this planet? Who knows where the needle would point?

Suddenly, we heard some rustling amongst the trees. Raising my sword, I looked around. It sounded like it was coming from the underbrush around us. My companion recognized the sound.

"Oh, no. It sounds like carrion fiends!" he said nervously.

"'Carrion' fiends? But aren't we still alive?" I asked.

"Don't be stupid. They kill just as much as they scavenge," he said. Great, I thought. I saw something move quickly between the trees. I heard another similar sound come from the trees between us. I went to them and stomped on the ground, hoping to draw out whatever creatures they were. One of them suddenly emerged and leapt toward my companion, who kicked it out of the way. I came back and saw what it was - and it disgusted me. Its body (if one could call it that) looked just like a human head, but there was no hair, bony ridges along the center of the scalp, small red eyes, a circular mouth full of short but nonetheless razor sharp teeth, and skin like that of a lizard. More amazingly, the rest of its body was limited to its limbs: emerging from the sides of its head were two limbs that looked almost like human arms, and the hands (or were they feet?) at the end of them looked like a combination of human hands and a lizard's feet. Some more such creatures emerged from the trees, ready to attack, and all of their mouths were drooling hungrily. One of them leapt toward me, and as quickly as I could, I swung my sword at it. I cut the creature clean in half, and a small fiery explosion issued forth from its blood. In a rather shocking display of cooperation and organization, the creatures split into two teams. One group went after my companion, and the other attacked me. Doing what I did during my fight with the flying monkeys, I threw my attackers off of me and helped my new friend. They were already biting him, and using my sword, I whacked them off before they could get to his vital organs. I swung so fiercely that my swipes also killed the demons. I could feel them biting at my legs again, and I quickly stabbed them. We both breathed sighs of relief as the demons lay dead.

"Thank you again," my companion said.

"You're welcome," I responded. Just then, he noticed something.

"Is that…a house?" he wondered. I looked in the direction he was, and - much to my surprise - there was a house there.

"We did it! We reached the edge of the forest!" he said. I was quite happy to get out of here, too.

"Now let's get out of here before any more monsters showed up," I said. He nodded in agreement, and we ran to the town.

Our arrival here caused quite a stir amongst the townspeople. Everyone looked at us with surprise, and they seemed especially fascinated by my sword. Just like my companion said, the townspeople seemed to be of different races: in addition to other humans, there were also refined elves, gruff dwarves, tall and muscular half-giants, merfolk who looked dreadfully dehydrated (I hoped the Cure Mermaid didn't see that), elegant unicorns, and even some races I couldn't quite identify. I also saw something that was just heartbreaking. There were also children amongst the townspeople. Whoever thought up the curse that killed me was truly evil. Was there anything more senseless than killing children?

"This man needs food and water. See to it he gets it," I said, regaining my composure. They were more than happy to help.

"Who's in charge around here?" I asked. A particularly old and wise-looking elf stepped forward.

"My name is Tirrotilam. How may I help you?" he said.

"Well, I'm actually looking for the portal -" I began, and when I said that, everyone gasped and muttered to themselves.

"Ah yes, the portal. Many before you have gone in search of it. None have gone through it," he said ruefully.

"Do you know where it is, at least?" I asked, hopeful that he knew where it was.

"Why yes. It is at the north pole of this forsaken world, far to the northwest of here. But I must warn you. This particular town borders near the Plains of the Frozen, where the Staring Sheep thrive. North of that is the mountains, where there are many monsters. The giant bats and the spiders are just a few of them. I couldn't even begin to describe some of the terrors you'll find on the way to the mountains," Tirrotilam warned; I could tell even he was a little scared of what lay beyond the town.

"I don't care. I have to get to the portal," I said bravely. He was much impressed by my resolve.

"Your courage is commendable, but I must warn you. Satan's forces are everywhere, and they'll do everything in their power to kill you," he said.

"If they're everywhere, then why is this town still standing? How did it avoid attention for so long?"

"In hell, no town lasts longer than a month until it's discovered. A month and a day, if the townspeople are lucky. We will stay here and fight to the death when we are discovered," he answered. I admired his bravery as well.

"Thank you for your help. But I _will_ defeat the guardian and step through the portal," I said.

"Then we will not stop you. Goodbye, brave wanderer, and good luck," he said. Now that I was feeling a bit better after that excursion through the forest, I figured out where the northwest was and ran. The townspeople looked on until I disappeared from view.

True to what Tirrotilam described, I happened upon a vast field. There was blood red grass as far as the eye could see, and only a few trees here and there to break the flatness. On the horizon I could see the mountains. Wait. The trees were not the only things that broke the flatness. There were many statues scattered across the field. Looking more closely at them, I could see that they weren't put there for decoration. They mostly looked like people running for their lives, and the looks of terror on their faces were purely authentic. Then it dawned on me; they were petrified, like Lily was. The memory was still incredibly painful. Whatever kind of creature Dijumia was, I certainly hoped there weren't more of it in this place. I made my way forward, walking carefully and stealthily amongst the tall red grass. Or, as carefully as I could. I noticed that many of the statues were covered with thorny whiplike vines, and when I happened to pass by a few, I got whipped myself! Thankfully, the thorns notwithstanding, it wasn't nearly as painful as getting hit by Dijumia's tail, but it took a lot of willpower to keep from crying out in pain. Walking further in, and avoiding the statues, I saw what must have been the source of the statues - though I couldn't help but be surprised. They looked just like sheep! However, that was where the similarity ended. While they looked like sheep, there wool was shorter and thinner, and it was a reddish color. There was a whole flock of them, eating the red grass. I had no idea as to how they made the statues, but I would have to be very careful around them. I walked as quietly as I could. That silence was quickly broken as I unknowingly stepped on a fallen branch and broke it - and alerted one of the sheep to my presence! I tried to stay as still as I could, but one of the ewes quickly walked over to my location. As soon as it was a few feet away, it looked at me with its dark ghostly eyes and started making a terrifying bleating sound, far removed from the usual "bah-ing" sound the sheep of the Earth make. I had to do something quickly or I'd end up in this (un)natural sculpture garden…and suffer the same fate as Lily. Quickly thinking, I withdrew my sword from its scabbard and held it in front of my face. The sheep's petrifying gaze suddenly fell onto its reflection…and it let out a terrifying scream! It wasn't just terrifying. The creature dropped all façade of looking ordinary and made a fierce growl and roar. When I lowered the blade, I could see why…the animal, instead of _causing_ petrification, was starting to turn to stone _itself_! At that moment, I couldn't help but feel a little proud of myself. I must have been the first person to survive the Staring Sheep's petrifying spell. Unfortunately, my proud moment was short-lived. The rams in the flock noticed that _I_ was still flesh and bone and that one of their own had turned to stone instead of the reverse. They made some very angry bleats and started to charge after me with their horns lowered. I held up my sword just in case and ran as quickly as I could. I kept running until I thought my legs were going to fall off, and the rams gave up. When I stopped, I didn't realize how far I had run, because I saw the most unusual thing in front of me…a railroad track! It was running through the field, out of the forest to the southwest, and up to the mountains. This had to be the best luck I had on this terrifying planet. But there was a question: in which way did the train run? Did it go to or from whichever was near the mountain range? I would have to decide soon, because up in the caves on the cliffs, the giant bats were getting ready for their nightly hunt. They opened their large eyes and bared their long sharp teeth. They spread their enormous wings and expertly loosened their grips on the cavern ceilings. They caught the wind and flew out in large groups, looking for their next meal.

I sat around near the tracks, waiting for the train to come by. It would seem not even Satan could make the trains run on time. I continued sitting there, keeping an eye out for any more predators. Actually, after that encounter with the Staring Sheep, the prey was just as dangerous as the carnivores. With that knowledge in mind, I kept my sword nearby. Although now that I thought about it, I noticed something rather peculiar about the Plains of the Frozen. There were plenty of statues of people, but there weren't any statues of the demonic predators. Were they somehow immune to their petrifying gaze? I then heard something that broke my train of thought. It sounded like a very eerie growl. But where was it coming from? I looked around with my sword raised. I saw something emerging from the forest. It was hard to tell what it was, since it was hidden in the shadows of the trees, but when it did come out…it was still hard to tell what it was. It looked like some kind of a quadrupedal _Dilophosaurus_. It had blood red skin, two bony plates emerging from its long head, a long whiplike tail - and necklaces of alien saliva dripping from its hungry mouth. I soon saw that more of its kind came up behind it from the trees. Great; it must have been a hunting pack. Where was that train? Despite my sword, the animals approached with hungry intent. One of them leapt forward toward my neck, but I knocked him out of the way, only to have another bite my leg. I cut at it with my sword and it quickly backed off. But that didn't stop them from trying again. Another bit deep into my shoulder, while another bit my sword arm! I punched the latter in its reptilian snout, and cut the face of the other. But even that didn't work, so I pried its jaws off of my shoulder myself. Two more bit my legs and brought me down. The pack leader leapt toward me before I could do anything else, looking hungrily at my neck. This was the end. I could only think of Lily, and one other question that suddenly emerged in my mind: what happens if you die in the afterlife?

Suddenly, I heard something I never before thought I'd be glad to hear (except back in Domino City when Lily and I went to school): a train horn. I pushed the hellhound (that's what I came to think of them as) off of me and the other two that were clamped onto my legs as well, and saw a train emerging from the forest. As glad as I was that it finally arrived, it wasn't nearly as comforting as the bullet trains that took Lily and me to school. Let's just say the locomotive (a modern-day diesel engine) alone looked like Dr. Seuss's worst nightmare. The cars that it was pulling weren't any more comforting. On every other one, there were demonic marksmen on either end of the cars sitting on rotatable chairs…holding machine guns. They weren't holding any machine gun; they were the interrupter gear-having kinds you used to see on airplanes. I kept count of how many cars there were (which wasn't easy since the hellhounds were still attacking); I'd have to get on the last one so I wouldn't be seen. How many were there? Four…nine…17… (I kept the demons off of me)…29…34…eight… (Those lousy dogs were making me lose count)…45…57…63…76 was the last one. Before I could run after it, though, the pack leader bit on to my leg again and made me trip! I quickly grabbed my sword and stabbed it in one of its red eyes. The hellhound let go and howled in pain, and I ran after the last car of the train as quickly as my bleeding legs could carry me. Refusing to give up the hunt, the hellhounds ran after me as well. I ran even faster, almost worried that my legs would break from all the energy I was trying to get from them, and jumped and grabbed the railing of the car. The hellhounds eventually slowed down and stopped to catch their breath. I tauntingly waved at them as the train took me closer to the mountains and they disappeared from view. I was glad to have some good luck for a change. Although since this was Hell, I didn't know how long it was going to last.

As glad as I was to catch the train, I must say the ride wasn't very comfortable. I spent the next few minutes picking hellhound teeth out of my leg. Those things cut deep. I kept looking around, hoping we would be getting closer to the mountains soon. I saw a herd of unicorns running along the plains, but unlike the ones I saw in the village, their horns were black and their eyes were red. The animals that accompanied them were a bit more unsettling. They also had the shapes of horses, but they towered over the unicorns, and would probably overshadow even a Shire stallion. Their coats were pitch black, and their eyes and hair seemed to be of fire. I think I may have been focusing on them for too long, because I just heard a rather terrifying growl…from the sky. I looked upward, and descending on the train were the giant bats that Tirrotilam mentioned. Their wingspans must have been at least 30 or 40 feet across, and their faces weren't like those of bats at all. They looked more like ravenous wolves. They were descending upon the train, ready to feast on me! But before I could draw my sword, I heard the sound of machine gun fire. Just as soon as they descended, the bats fell to the ground dead. The gunners must have seen them. But one of the flying creatures still lived. As I looked more closely, I saw it wasn't a bat at all. It was that black eagle again. What was it doing here? How did it find me? I then saw that it wasn't going after me; instead, it flew to the top of the car. I also heard a pair of metal-covered feet climbing up to the top of the car. I climbed up the ladder as stealthily as I could to hear the conversation. I also happened to see what they looked like. The gunman was of a vaguely anthropoid shape, but I couldn't see for sure as I was seeing him from behind. The other one, by contrast, was terrifying. He must have been at least seven or eight feet tall. His heavy plate armor would probably have been dark blue, had it not been covered with many dried blood stains. His shoulder plates were adorned with spikes, and his helmet, which concealed his face (thank goodness) except for his glowing red eyes, had two pairs of horns: two curved ones on the sides of the helmet, and two wavy ones crowning it. His shield was adorned with a sinisterly smiling skull. I didn't want to know what the sword strapped to his back looked like. The mysterious bird was perched on one of the machine gun barrels. Strangely, the other two demons took no notice of it. What was that bird?

"Sir, the bats descended upon us for no discernible reason," said the demonic gunman.

"And why did the bats come?" said the knight, clearly not interested in the answer.

"I don't know. All of our slaves are inside the car," said the gunman, trying a different explanation.

"Then that means we have a stowaway. The bats and harpies wouldn't attack our trains unless someone stowed aboard. Search the train for any stowaways, and if you find one, kill him on sight," said the commander. At this, the eagle flew off of the machine gun, but it wasn't with the surprise that makes a bird fly away when it's disturbed. It was more like a wordless way of saying "Here you go".

"At once, sir!" said the gunman. I then realized what they were saying: the bats were after me, and I was the stowaway. My worry was added to when I saw the face of the gunman. His eyes were those of an expert marksman, one who would not easily miss his shot. There was no time to lose. I carefully jumped back down onto the platform, and waiting for the right moment, I jumped off of the car and rolled onto the ground below, away from the sight of the train. At least I was closer to the mountains now.

Although I think I got away from some demonic gunmen only to end up in the range of some more. Across the field to the west of where I landed, I saw a squad of demonic cannon men firing upon poorly drawn wooden cutouts of Terran military men and vehicles. The artillery demons were disconnecting the cannons from the horses or unicorns that pulled them as quickly as they could and trying to turn the guns around even faster. Despite the poor concept of what they would (hopefully not) be going up against, the cannonballs tore through them with ease. What I saw was incredibly unsettling. Were the demons I saw planning for an invasion? Is that what would happen if I could not defeat Thatehos? Then again, the demons must have been pretty confident if they thought swords and horse-drawn cannons were going to work against machine guns, tanks, and fighter jets. Then again… I then just remembered where I was. I ran as quickly as I could before the demons saw me and decided to use me as practice against a live target. However, my luck ran out just as quickly. Ahead of me, I saw three more demons similar in appearance to the knight I saw on the train. The armor was the same, except for the bloodstains, and for the fact that they were riding heavily armored demonic horses, the same black horses I saw running across the field earlier. It was too late for me to hide now, as they saw me immediately.

"Well, what do we have here? An escaped human," said one of the knights deviously, drawing out a large battle axe. One of them, however, looked surprised.

"Wait a minute, comrades. He has Dragon Claw, the legendary sword of Atlantis. He might be the one," said another, indicating my own weapon. I couldn't believe it myself. My weapon came from Atlantis? The knight in front of the group obviously didn't care and unsheathed his own sword. Despite his objections, the second knight got out a large flail.

"You shall pay for the death of our brother, mortal! This is for Aiakelotho!" he said.

"You cannot escape the Master's vigilance!" shouted the third knight. They quickly got off of their horses and ran towards me, ready to kill. I don't know how I did it, considering that I had no armor of my own, but I expertly blocked and dodged their blows. The swordsman parried a few times, until I thrust my blade into the small space between his cuirass and his helmet - in other words, his neck. While I was fighting off his two comrades, who were fighting with more ferocity, I noticed something extraordinary happen to the one I defeated. As he fell to his knees, his body suddenly became engulfed in hellfire. A minute later, the fire died down just as quickly as it erupted, leaving behind a pile of hot burned armor. I successfully fought off the other two (though I got a nasty wound from the flail), and the same thing happened to them. I collapsed where I was and caught my breath, and then I thought about what the lead knight said. So Aiakelotho, the cultist who Seto Kaiba defeated, was one of these demons. I then knew I needed to get to the portal - and thus back to the Earth - quickly if Thatehos was recruiting demons into his circle. I got back up and ran up to the mountains, looking for an easy way up. However, as soon as I got a few feet away from the knights' burned up suits of armor, the ground started to tremble. I fell to my knees from the shaking, and dared not to turn around and see what was causing it. It was only when I heard a low growl that I decided to see what it was. I turned around slowly…and saw the most terrifying demon I ever saw. It looked just like the dinosaur _Giganotosaurus_, but its skin was pure white and it had blood red eyes. Deep eerie growls emanated from its long jaws, and likewise necklaces of saliva dripped from its yellow dagger-like teeth. I was terrified beyond compare. There was no way I could survive a fight with this creature. It let out a ferocious roar, one that was so loud I thought I would have gone deaf if I hadn't slapped my hands onto my ears. Then I saw the creature moving toward me. I had no choice now; I didn't care how fast this creature could run, I had to get away from it, and now. I quickly got up and ran as fast as I could, while the demonic therapod thundered behind me. I kept running, but it kept up easily. I almost thought it snapped its massive jaws behind me. At one point, I looked back, and I saw the dinosaur opening its mouth again, but this time, it wasn't to roar, though I heard it make a triumphant growl. Electricity started charging _in the large mouth!_ I ran even faster, faster than I ever did in my life, but the dinosaur shot a large and powerful bolt of lightning from its massive jaws, and I don't know how I did it, but I managed to _dodge_ the bolt, but the ground it hit exploded behind me, sending me flying forward some feet! Wasting no time, I got back up and continued running. I just ran until I felt like my lungs were on fire, and thankfully I saw something incredibly helpful: a small cave in the mountainside. I quickly turned around and dived in, causing the dinosaur to crash headfirst into the mountainside. I tried to take in as much breath as I could, which, after all that running I did, wasn't a very easy thing to do. I then heard some more growling. I looked up through a crevice in the top of the cave ceiling, and saw - much to my surprised horror - the demonic dinosaur. The change was that its red eyes were now very angry, and there was bloody mucus oozing out of its nostrils. I couldn't help but find that weird. An obviously very fierce predator didn't like to be injured itself. I also saw the black eagle flying overhead, as if watching my narrow escape from death. Just then, I heard a voice that made me jump.

"Hey, get out of here, you little brat! No one trespasses on _my_ territory!" it said. I turned around, and there was a very fat demon behind me wielding a huge axe.

"Tell that to the dinosaur out there," I said, still catching my breath but nonetheless holding up my sword.

"A Gigantoshambler, you say? Then I'll make sure he _gets_ his meal!" he said, charging forward despite his weight and slammed his axe into the ground, which I narrowly avoided. I swung my sword at him, but he was pushing me back out of the cave. All I could do was block his axe; my sword had a surprisingly strong blade. The Gigantoshambler, the demonic dinosaur, which was pacing back and forth waiting for me to come back out, saw me fighting the hermit. Upon seeing the very fat demon, the dinosaur suddenly got a look in its eye, like when a jaguar sees a particularly tasty-looking cow. He charged toward us, and this time completely ignored me. The demonic hermit looked to his left and only had time to scream in terror as the Gigantoshambler slammed its many teeth into the demon's flesh. The black eagle, which perched onto a rock to watch the battle, suddenly looked away from the dinosaur's ripping the hermit's flesh apart and swallowing it whole. Whatever or whoever this bird was, it would seem the Gigantoshambler's eating habits were too gruesome even for it (or him). Using this diversion, I ran as fast as I could…again. I wouldn't believe it I hadn't seen it myself: the demonic dinosaur's voracious hunger _saved_ my life. After a little while, I couldn't run anymore, and I collapsed.

I looked up, and I saw that stopping was the _worst_ thing I did. I saw…a dragon! It was probably just as big as the Gigantoshambler. It had a large wingspan and a long whiplike tail. It had a long neck, topped with a spear-shaped head, which was lighter than the Gigantoshambler's massive skull, and a pair of horns emerged from the back of it. The strangest thing, though, was something about the dragon's body. It seemed to be…half material and half _ethereal_. What I mean was that a strange dark aura was emanating from the reptile's body, and some parts of it seemed to be semitransparent, which shifted across its body. As I looked at it some more, I saw something even stranger. The dragon…didn't move at all. I was quite confused, but I heard something that broke that train of thought. I looked to my left, and there was another dragon, roaring furiously! What was worse, this one was somewhat larger than the immobile one!

"Oh crap," I said, preparing to run. The second dragon reared and breathed a stream of hellfire! I dived down beneath a rocky outcropping, which safely blocked the flames. Confident that the dragon thought I was dead, I looked back, and saw something rather intriguing. The immobile dragon wasn't moving for a reason: it was laying eggs. They were about twice the size of ostrich eggs, and there was a whole pile of them. I then just remembered the stuff I learned in biology class in high school: most reptiles usually go into trances when they lay their eggs. Just remembering that gave me some good memories of home, of the Earth. Thanks to that, I just remembered where I was and what I was doing: I just had to get over the mountains and I would be at the portal. With my resolve renewed, I started walking again.

I didn't know which would be safer: going _over_ the mountains or between them. Seeing a small passage in between two of them, I decided to take my chances and go through that way. I walked very slowly and carefully, trying not to draw the attention of any mountain-dwelling demons. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous, though, when I looked up. I saw many anthropoid-shaped figures wrapped up like mummies…in spider's silk, and they were hanging from threads of similar material from massive spider webs. Strangely, I saw none of the spiders themselves. I kept on walking, keeping an eye out for them. As I walked, one of them stealthily crawled down from the rocks behind me. It turned around and opened its spinnerets, and the next thing I knew, I felt something sticky spraying onto me! I turned around as best as I could, and I saw the spider. It was a black widow the size of a rhinoceros! It started walking toward me, ready to bite with its large fangs! Like my encounter with the centipede, I did not want to be poisoned, so I struggled and eventually got my sword arm free. I thrust the blade into the spider's cephalothorax and right into its brain, killing it swiftly. I cut the webbing off of me and ran for it before any more spiders showed up. I wish I could have done something for the spiders' hanging victims, but there was nothing I could do against more than one giant arachnid. After a little more running, which it would seem I was doing a lot of on this planet, I got to the end of the passage, and on the other side of the mountain range. I thought I could see something in the distance. It was some kind of dull glowing color. Could that have been the portal? I hoped against hope that this wasn't one of Hell's cruel mirages. But it couldn't have been a mirage; it didn't warp or wave. It must have been the portal! I didn't care how far away it was from the mountains, or that there was a canyon somewhere in the middle of the distance; I happily slid down from the slope and started to run toward it. My happiness was, once again, short-lived. I heard some frightening war cries, and when I looked up, I saw what was causing them: harpies. They were not at all attractive like the Harpie Lady cards; these were monsters. They had the shapes of human women, but they had razor-sharp teeth and ugly talons for feet. In their clawed hands, they held long silver-tipped spears. As soon as they swooped down low enough, they started thrusting their lances. All I could do was parry their thrusts, as their weapons kept them a safe distance away. Not even when I jumped up could I reach them. It was then I had a clever idea. When one of the harpies thrusted, I grabbed to spear just below the point and pulled down on it, bringing the creature down as well. I then stabbed the harpy through the stomach, killing it quickly. Unfortunately, upon seeing one of their own fall, the others started attacking more ferociously. I couldn't parry as well, and I got stabbed numerous times, but luckily I avoided their getting the vital areas. Just like when the leader of the flying monkeys' hunting party started attacking me more viciously, I suddenly felt something snap, and I went, for lack of a better word, berserk. All that mattered was killing the harpies. They flew in closer to secure the kill, but I then spun around as quickly as I could with my blade sticking out. I could hear a lot of pained and frustrated screams, but that was all. A few seconds later, I came to, and I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it myself. All the harpies that tried to attack me were dead before me. I smiled proudly, but then the pain returned and I grunted with it. I continued walking down the mountain, albeit more slowly now. While I was walking…I stepped on something that sounded like glass. When I looked down, I saw something very unusual. It was an oil painting, or, from the looks of its aged and dirtied appearance, what was left of it. Curious, I picked it up and cleaned some of the dirt off. The portrait was of a handsome man - no, it was an angel. He had long black hair and arresting blue eyes. I could tell he was an angel because of his platinum plate armor and his wings. But it wasn't this man's face that caught my attention. Looking at the bottom of what was left of the frame, I saw a signature. It said in very fancy flowing script,

To my darling Lucifer,

With all my love, Alury

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. This painting showed Satan himself as he looked before he became the great adversary of humanity known by many names and many forms; as he was before he disguised himself as the infamous snake that tricked Adam and Eve into getting themselves banished from the Garden of Eden. I was looking at a very famous portrait indeed, probably even more famous than the Mona Lisa. No matter how long I looked at it, I couldn't believe who the person in the painting was, and when I thought about it I couldn't believe who he became. After a few more unbelieving looks, I put the painting aside. But while I was going to be worlds away from it, the subject was going to remain with me for the rest of my life.

I got to the bottom of the mountains, and as I walked, I saw something. It was…some kind of pond. The water was so red and still it looked like blood. Now that I thought about it, I didn't have anything to drink since I came to this forsaken planet. But…since this was Hell, would the water be poisonous? (Well, it was red in color) And who knew what creatures were in it? I decided to take my chances and walked up to the lake. I scooped up a handful of the red water and slowly drank it. Much to my surprise, the water…was delicious. Remembering how thirsty I was, I plunged my head underneath it and drank like a camel. In my attempt to quench my thirst, I didn't notice the danger. While I was drinking, a pair of large moist eyes emerged from the water. Seeing me, they submerged again. Feeling refreshed, I brought my head back up, and noticed something in the water. Suddenly, a large frog's head emerged from the water and spat out a lump of green slime! I rolled out of the way just in time, and I saw that it was a good thing I did: the soil that the slime landed on started to steam and rot. Great; I was dealing with another venomous animal. The frog jumped out of the pond, and I could see how big it was. It was about the size of a St. Bernard, and its moist skin consisted of red and black blotches. A spiny ridge ran down the center of its back. It looked at me with hungry intent. Just then, another frog jumped out of the pond as well. They jumped toward and started cutting at me with the claws on their front legs. I cut at them in return with my sword, but that didn't stop their hungry pursuit. Then one of them spat out another ball of slime, and it got onto my shirt! Seeing it start to corrode, I quickly pulled it off in a panic before the venom could get onto my skin. I kicked one of them away and stabbed the other through the head. When the other came back, I cut its belly open. The venom poured out of the second one and started corroding the ground. The portal suddenly felt a lot closer, but I knew I still had some walking to do. Although I got the feeling that said walking would quickly become a run. That feeling was verified in only a minute. I suddenly started hearing…circus music. However, it was not at all cheerful like circus music should be. Instead, it was eerie and ominous. I looked to my left, and saw…a circus-themed wagon. Again, instead of being covered with cheerful advertisements, it had very gruesome pictures, especially of the freak show. It was pulled by a pair of unicorns with zebra-like coats. The driver, however, was the scariest part of the ensemble. He appeared to be a very emaciated man wearing white makeup, a lot of red lipstick, and his hair was a poisonous shade of green. He was wearing a mismatched suit, large shoes, and a ragged top hat. He looked at me with the same bizarre smile that Maledict gave us.

"Ah, hello there, young man! Welcome to the Circus of Fear! I am your host, Nigravedho the Clown!" he said in a voice that was a combination of the entertaining one of a clown and the sadism of a murderer.

"Don't come near me, you freak," I said warningly, reaching for my sword.

"Now now, there's no need to be angry. I'm not going to hurt you. You like the circus, don't you?" he said in a voice that reeked of flowers.

"Who wants to know?" I said defensively.

"Then join me in my Circus, and I guarantee you'll be much happier. Everyone loves a clown, and I'm sure you're no exception," Nigravedho said, extending his right clawed hand in a friendly way.

"Not on your life!" I shouted, drawing my sword. Nigravedho covered his eyes and let out a painful wail when he saw that it was Dragon Claw. When the clown lowered his hands, his clown-like cheerful smile was replaced with an evil snarl.

"You asked for it, boy! I tried to be nice to you, and now you leave me no choice but to use force! No one escapes from Nigravedho the Clown!" he declared.

"There's a first time for everything," I said, and started running as quickly as I could. Nigravedho cracked his whip and the unicorns started running at breakneck speed. I also noticed that the black eagle was flying nearby. Again? What was that bird's agenda? I kept running as quickly as I could, keeping out of the reach of the clown's whip and the unicorns' horns. Ahead of me was the canyon I saw earlier. That's perfect! I thought. Using this new idea, I sheathed my sword as I wouldn't need it and ran faster than ever now, and the edge of the canyon as only a few feet away now.

"You cannot escape the Master's vigilance!" Nigravedho shouted, only now his voice was more demonic than clown-like. As soon as my left foot landed on the edge of the canyon, I made a quick prayer and jumped across. Luckily, a lone tree was growing on the other end, and a root was growing through the canyon wall. I kept throwing my arms forward, hoping that would give me a push, and…I managed to grab the root! I held on for dear life. Nigravedho, however, would not be deterred. He had the wagon jump across as well and the eagle flew away, but as the unicorns reached me, the vehicle started to fall. Nigravedho leapt from the driver's seat and had both clawed hands outstretch, hoping to capture me one more time. Thinking quickly, I unsheathed Dragon Claw and whacked the clown across the face with it, sending him plummeting to his demise. As he fell, he cursed me until I was out of earshot, and while the wagon was smashed to pieces from the impact and the unicorns were dead, Nigravedho was impaled on a sharp rock protruding from the ground. Back above, I caught my breath some more.

"I told you there was a first time for everything. Send out the clowns," I said. Once again, I felt very proud of myself. I may be the very first person to ever escape from Hell. If I had been anyone else, I would have been killed long ago. But no. I had a mission to complete. I had to keep Thatehos from avenging the defeat we Atlanteans gave him 11,004 years ago and destroy the world, and I had to restore my beloved Lily to life. I started to climb up the root to get out from the canyon, which wasn't easy after all the running I did…again.

"Man, after all the running and sword fighting I did on this planet, I may not have to exercise for at least a year. Or ten," I said with a chuckle. Hearing that comforted me. I haven't made that sound in a long time. It felt good to hear it again. After much effort, I climbed out of the canyon, and there before me, in addition to the great expanse of land, was the portal. If I had to estimate, I'd say it was one kilometer. I kept Dragon Claw at the ready, and started walking again. I decided not to run anymore. If a demon found me, I would fight. Just then, I heard a soft and lovely voice.

"You're not the only one who's proud," said the Cure Mermaid as she appeared beside me. I smiled; it's been a while.

"You've overcome many challenges, and now you have almost reached the portal," she said proudly.

"I'm glad. I just want to get out of here and save Lily," I admitted.

"All in good time, Demetrios. You will save her," she said, and disappeared.

I didn't encounter any monsters during my walk. Was I walking into an ambush? I somehow knew getting this close to the portal was too good to be true. Nevertheless, I kept Dragon Claw at the ready and continued walking. Then, just like when I arrived here, I heard some eerie entomoid noises. Upon looking around, I saw it: a small army of fire ants the size of tigers headed toward me! Again, facing an army of giant insects would probably scare anyone else to death, but if this was another test of skill I had to pass to get to the portal, so be it. I was ready. One of the ants approached first, and I stabbed it through its head. A couple more bit my legs and dragged me to the ground, but I cut out the eyes of one of them and kicked the other away now that my leg was free. Two more tried to pin my arms down with their mandibles, and I punched them off and stabbed them as soon as I got back up. They tried to circle me, but I started spinning around quickly, cutting any that approached. Pretty soon, I killed every one of them. One remained, though. A fire ant that was larger than any of the soldiers, and with sharper mandibles. He approached, and just as I swung my sword, the ant blocked it with one of its jaws! It pushed me aside with one of its legs, and prepared to bite. I slipped out from underneath it and attacked again, but this time it blocked my blow _with its antennae_! Using this, the ant then lifted its antennae up and knocked me down to the ground again. It thrust its feet onto my arms as painfully as possible, keeping me from rising again. The ant was about to bite one more time. I only had one more chance. I kicked out my left leg and knocked the ant's left middle leg off balance, but it maintained its grip! I tried one more time, and I managed to get both the middle and _front_ leg out from under it! I managed to free my left arm (albeit painfully) and rolled out from under the ant and jumped onto its back. With my remaining strength, I jumped, bringing the sword down onto the ant's head, killing it quickly and easily. Not wasting any time to catch breath, I started walking back to the portal, which came ever closer.

Back on the Earth, Yugi and company also got closer to their goal. They reached the edge of the forest surrounding Mt. Fuji, but it seemed…corrupted somehow. A rancid smell emanated from it.

"Eww. What happened here?" Téa asked.

"I'll bet Thatehos had something to do with it," Joey said, starting to walk toward the forest.

"Joey, wait!" Yugi said cautiously.

"What for? We have him where we want him," Joey said.

"Yeah, but…does it feel colder all of a sudden?" Tristan pointed out.

"Yeah, it does," Joey said, noticing it as well.

"Do you think it has something to do with the forest?" Téa asked.

"No; this is my doing," said a chilling voice. From the forest emerged an old Inuit man wearing black wolf skins. Everything about him was cold: his stern expression, his icy blue eyes; as a matter of fact, even as he was walking, the grass became covered in frost!

"Who are you?" Yugi said, again with caution.

"I am Arctos, a proud servitor of High Priest Thatehos. I have foreseen your arrival and I have come to prevent your encroachment upon my master's monastery," the man explained. Joey could hardly contain his anger.

"You bastard! Your master killed our friends!" he said.

"Yes, Thatehos cast the Curse of Dark Genocide on Demetrios, and Dijumia and turned Lily into a lifeless statue. Now that those two are gone, the prophecy about them is for nothing and nothing can stand against Thatehos. Satan will triumph," Arctos said, the coldness never leaving his voice. Téa gasped when he heard about Lily's fate in addition to my own.

"You'll pay for this, murderer! I'll duel you right here, right now!" Joey said, and not even Tristan's restraining could stop him from equipping his Duel Disk.

"Joey, don't do it! He could kill you too!" Yugi warned.

"I _won't_ lose, Yug. I'm going to avenge Demetrios and Lily!" he said bravely.

"I've heard of you, Joey Wheeler. Not even your dragon's fire can penetrate my ice," Arctos said, equipping his own Duel Disk, and their Life Points respectively set at 8,000.

"I hope Joey knows what he's doing," Téa said with worry.

"Me too," Yugi agreed.

I wasn't expecting a warm welcome or a parade when I got to the portal. But what I instead happened upon was more chilling. I saw a graveyard. The rotting bodies of everyone who ever tried to pass the portal's test lay all over the threshold. As for the portal itself, I couldn't imagine anything looking ominous and majestic at the same time. It was made completely of black stone, and a tall staircase lead up to the rift. Huge spikes emerged from the portal's foundation. The rift was an eerie dark red color streaked with white. Flanking it were two massive statues. On the left side was a Gigantoshambler, ready to fight. The right statue was of a netherworld dragon, in flight and ready to breathe fire. On the top slab, there was a snake wrapped around an apple. I then remembered who that snake used to be. A couple of hellhounds were fighting over one of the dead bodies. When they saw me approach with my sword ready, they suddenly got alarmed and ran off, with one of them carrying the corpse they were fighting over, stubbornly refusing to give up its prize. A more comforting sight appeared: the Cure Mermaid.

"You've made it, Demetrios. You've come to the portal at last," she said.

"I'm ready for whatever test I need to pass. I will not end up in this cemetery," I said bravely.

"You must now defeat the Guardian of Shadow. Defeat him, and you can return home at long last. Good luck," the Cure Mermaid said, and disappeared again. I was ready.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter XIII

A Song of Ice and Dragon Fire

The two combatants stared each other down - Arctos with a look of cold indifference, and Joey with one of anger and revenge. He looked down at his hand, and saw that he had Axe Raider (1700/1150), Gamble, Flame Manipulator (900/1000), Polymerization, and Baby Dragon (1200/700).

"I'll go first. I summon Axe Raider in Attack Mode", Joey said, with more anger than his usual dueling gusto. The warrior appeared on the field, ready to attack. Yugi and company were quick to notice his anger.

"Does Joey seem angrier than usual?" Yugi said with a little worry.

"Yeah, he does. He's fighting for a good cause, but what if it affects his game?" Téa said.

"You will need more than an axe to take down me, let alone Thatehos. I'll lay three facedown cards," Arctos said, his coldness never leaving his voice. Oddly, only two of them were facedown cards; one must have been a monster card, as it appeared horizontally. Joey temporarily forgot about his anger and saw the trap Arctos might have been laying for him. With the look of worry, he looked down at his Deck. Come on, Heart of the Cards, he said. He drew a card, and got Time Wizard (500/400).

"All right. I summon Time Wizard, and I'll activate his special effect. Let's give the Time Roulette a spin!" he said as the clockwork wizard appeared on the field. The pointer on its staff started to spin.

"This can't be good," Téa said.

"Joey, I know you're angry, but don't let that cloud your judgment. You can't make reckless decisions like this," Yugi warned.

"Don't worry, Yug, I know what I'm doing," Joey said, his anger temporarily abating. The pointer on the roulette started to slow down, and Joey looked apprehensive as it did. Arctos, however, remained indifferent. The pointer continued to slow, and it landed on…the time warp symbol!

"All right! You might want to hang on tight, because your monsters are going on a trip through time!" Joey said. Arctos's facedown monster was caught in a time warp, which thus destroyed it.

"Now that that's settled, I'm going to activate Polymerization, and turn my Baby Dragon into Thousand Dragon!" Joey continued. He activated the spell card, and true enough, the Baby Dragon appeared on the field and rapidly turned into an ancient and powerful behemoth (2400/2000). "Attack his Life Points directly!" The dragon breathed a great stream of fire from its mouth, cutting Arctos's Life Points down to 5,600.

"What were you so worried about?" Joey said confidently to his friends.

"You should be worried, because I activate one of my facedown cards: Dragon Capture Jar," Arctos said. As if in response to Joey's saying of "What?", a jar with a dragon's face on it appeared on the field, and from its insides emerged four massive chains, which forced the Thousand Dragon into Defense Mode.

"And now I shall seal your doom. I summon Ancient Gear Soldier in Attack Mode, and I activate my second facedown card: the Seal of Orichalcos," the shaman continued. First the robotic soldier (1300/1300) appeared on the field, and then the Orichalcos Ring surrounded both players. Just like the last time, Arctos's ice-blue eyes turned red and the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead. The same happened to the Ancient Gear Soldier, in addition to its Attack Points increasing to 1800. Curiously, when the Orichalcos Ring glowed, small stalagmites of ice erupted from the ground.

"Ancient Gear Soldier, destroy his Axe Raider," Arctos said coolly. The robot fired its rifle, and with the Raider killed, Joey's life points dropped to 7,900.

"At least I still have more than you," he said.

"Not for long," the shaman shot back coldly. Joey drew a card, hoping for a good one, and got Blue Flame Swordsman (1800/1600). It's not much, but he'll have to do, he thought.

"I summon Blue Flame Swordsman in Attack Mode," Joey said, some of the anger replaced with desperation. He did not want to fall victim to the Seal's effects.

"Is that all? I summon Ancient Gear in Defense Mode, and I lay three cards facedown," Arctos said. A small robot made up mostly of gears (100/800) appeared on the field, where its Attack Points rose to 600, and three facedown cards appeared behind the two monsters. Joey looked desperate and angry at the same time. I don't care what they are; I have to beat this guy. I have to avenge Demetrios, he thought.

"Blue Flame Swordsman, attack the Ancient Gear!" Joey declared. The warrior's sword burst into blue flames, and he rushed to his target, shouting a battle cry.

"Joey, no! What if they're traps?" Tristan warned.

"You should listen to your friends, Wheeler. You did indeed activate a Trap card: Mirror Force," Arctos said, still very coldly. The card sprang up and the Blue Flame Swordsman was destroyed. Joey realized his recklessness.

"And now that it's my turn again, I can draw again," the shaman said. When he saw what his new card was, he almost smiled, but it turned quickly back to a stern frown.

"With my Ancient Gear's effect, I can Special Summon another Ancient Gear to the field, and I think I will," he said. Another Ancient Gear appeared on the field next to the first one.

"Which is good because I'll need it. I sacrifice my first Ancient Gear and Ancient Gear Soldier to summon…my Ancient Gear Golem," he said. The two machines disappeared, and were replaced with a towering mechanical giant (3000/3000). Sure, enough, the Orichalcos mark appeared on its Roman legionnaire-like helmet and its Attack Points increased to 3500.

"Ancient Gear Golem, obliterate the Thousand Dragon," Arctos commanded. "And get this, Wheeler: your Dragon may be in Defense Mode, but that won't stop my Golem's attack from cutting down your Life Points." True to what he said, as the Ancient Gear Golem pummeled the Thousand Dragon, Joey's Life Points fell to 6,400. The Dragon Capture Jar that was binding it disappeared as well.

"Oh my God, how is Joey supposed to beat that?" Téa said with renewed worry.

"Let's hope the Heart of the Cards is in his favor," Yugi said. Tristan nodded in agreement.

"Ready to give up? I will spare your life if you do," Arctos said. Even his offer of mercy sounded cold and unkind.

"Never. I'm going to avenge Demetrios for what you bastards did to him," Joey said with determination.

"Then your path will end in your own death," the shaman said.

"I still have a deck in my hand, and I'm not going to back down just yet," he said bravely as he drew another card. He looked and saw that he drew Salamandra.

"I activate my Blue Flame Swordsman's special ability and bring out Flame Swordsman, and I'll equip him with Salamandra!" he continued. The burning warrior (1800/1600) appeared on the field, and his sword erupted with more intense flames, increasing his Attack Points to 2500.

"Attack his second Ancient Gear!" he declared with renewed vigor. The Swordsman charged, and this time the attack did not falter: the burning blade incinerated the machine, reducing Arctos's Life Points to 3,200.

"Now what were you saying about the victor changing?" Joey said confidently.

"Maybe he will win," Téa said with a smile.

"Thatehos _will_ triumph," Arctos said as he drew another card. "I activate Pot of Greed, which I will use to draw two more cards and thus bring Thatehos closer to victory." He did indeed draw the two extra cards. "I summon Gradius in Attack Mode and activate another Spell Card: Ancient Gear Castle. This will give my Ancient Gear Golem 300 extra Attack Points." An enormous castle filled with all sorts of machines appeared behind the shaman, and the Golem's Attack Points increased further to 3800. A fighter jet (1200/800) appeared on the field next to the Golem. The Orichalcos mark appeared on the windshield and increased its Attack Points to 1700.

"Ancient Gear Golem, kill the Flame Swordsman," the shaman commanded. Just like the last time, the Golem pummeled the warrior and reduced Joey's Life Points to 5,100.

"Gradius, attack his Life Points directly," he continued. The jet fired its lasers at Joey, whose Life Points were cut down further to 3,400.

"Joey, hang in there!" Yugi said.

He's right. I've got to beat this guy, Joey said. Drawing one more card, he got his own Pot of Greed.

"You aren't the only one with Pot of Greed, Arctos. I'll activate my own," Joey said. He drew two more cards, and got just the ones he needed: Nutrient Z and The Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200). Even with the Legendary Dragon, this was going to be hard.

"I'll just lay one card facedown," Joey said, starting to sound despondent.

"Joey, what are you doing?" Tristan asked with shock.

"Don't worry, guys," Joey whispered to them.

"I'm glad to see you did the reasonable thing and admitted defeat. But if you're going to try anything funny…" Arctos began, and drew another card of his own. "I activate Graceful Charity." He discarded two cards from his hand and drew three more from his Deck.

"Just what I needed. I activate the Spell Cards Cyclon Laser and Solar Leveler. These will give my Gradius a much-needed boost," Arctos explained. The lasers on Gradius suddenly got an energy surge, and the jet's Attack Points increased further to 2000.

"Now, my monsters, destroy him," the shaman ordered. Both machines attacked Joey with utmost power…but when the smoke cleared, Joey still stood, with Life Points at merely 1,600. Arctos's red eyes widened with surprise.

"How is this possible?" he asked with something that almost sounded like surprise.

"Didn't I tell you that you aren't the only one with fancy Spell and Trap cards? I activated Nutrient Z, and that just saved my life. Now I'm back on track," Joey said confidently. He drew one more card, and got Heavy Storm.

"All right, I summon The Fiend Megacyber in Defense Mode, and I activate one more Spell Card: Heavy Storm. So say goodbye to your Spell and Trap Cards!" he said, his vigor renewing again. The Ancient Gear Castle was destroyed, reducing the Ancient Gear Golem's power bonus, but then Joey was shocked when he saw what Arctos's two facedown cards finally were: two copies of Statue of the Wicked.

"That can't be good," Joey said.

"You're right; it isn't - for you," Arctos said as he drew a card. Just like my duel with Caligula, two hideous living statues (1000/1000) appeared on the field. The Orichalcos symbol appeared on their foreheads and their eyes turned red as their respective Attack Points increased to 1500.

"You should consider yourself honored, Wheeler. You got to see my ultimate combination in action. I sacrifice my two Wicked Tokens to summon Perfect Machine King, and I activate Monster Reborn to summon Jinzo," the shaman said.

"What? But I didn't play Jinzo," Joey said with confusion.

"I have one of my own, and he's one of the machines of my combination," Arctos coldly shot back. The two statues disappeared and were replaced with an incredibly powerful machine (2700/1500), and a bizarre-looking cyborg (2400/1500) appeared next to him.

"Watch as the Orichalcos infuses them with power beyond imagining, and I'll increase it further by equipping Jinzo with its personal Spell card Amplifier." A domed helmet appeared on top of Jinzo's head as the other effects took place. The Perfect Machine King's blue eyes turned red and Jinzo's goggles glowed with the same color. The Orichalcos marks appeared on both of their foreheads, and their attacks increased respectively to 3200 and 2900.

"And it doesn't stop there. The Perfect Machine King gains 500 Attack Points for every Machine-Type monster on the field except itself, and I have three. Do the math, if you can," Arctos explained further. As if in response, the Perfect Machine King's Attack Points did indeed increase by 1500, making them 4700.

"There is nothing you can do now. Gradius, destroy his Fiend Megacyber," he said. The ship fired its charged up lasers one more time, obliterating the warrior - and Joey's last line of defense. Thanks to the effects of Solar Leveler, Gradius's Attack Points automatically rose to 2100, and combined with the effects of Cyclon Laser, the attack went through and Joey's Life Points dropped to 1,500.

"My machines, destroy him once and for all," Arctos said. The Ancient Gear Golem charged and pummeled him, Jinzo fired a beam of dark energy, and the Perfect Machine King's fists thrust off of their owner via small rocket thrusters and found their mark. Joey's Life Points collapsed to 0. Despite his victory, Arctos still remained as cold and stern as when the duel started.

"No!" Yugi, Téa, and Tristan said almost in unison.

"It is as I have told you: Thatehos _will_ triumph," the shaman said. The Orichalcos Ring shrunk and surrounded Joey. The green light that emanated from it shot toward in a large stream.

"Demetrios…I'm sorry…" Joey said as his soul was being ripped out of his body. He collapsed, and the Orichalcos disappeared. Yugi and company rushed to his comatose body. Tristan looked at him with daggers.

"Murderer…" he said angrily. As he sobbed, Yugi's Millennium Puzzle glowed, and he became the nameless Pharaoh. Téa could not speak, as she was shedding many tears.

"Arctos, you will pay for this," he said.

"Your friend there said the same thing, and look where it got him," Arctos said.

"Your master may have taken Demetrios and Joey from us, but he _will_ be defeated!" the Pharaoh declared.

"He will gladly take your challenge. Once all the knights have fallen, there will be no stopping us," Arctos retorted. He disappeared in a flash of diamond dust.

"There is no choice now. We must defeat Thatehos," the Pharaoh said. Téa, still unable to speak from her crying, nodded in agreement. Tristan hoisted Joey's comatose body onto his back.

"I'm with you all the way, Yugi," Tristan said. From the treetops above, Shandara looked terrified.

"This is a nightmare. With Demetrios dead and one of the knights rendered soulless…we have no hope…" she said, and started to cry as well.

Back in hell, a fight of my own was approaching, one that would bring me back home or condemn me for all eternity…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter XIV

To Hell and Back

I approached threshold of the portal. The statuary that decorated it was terrifying, but I was too determined to turn back now. I drew my sword and held it in the air.

"I come to face the Guardian of Shadow," I bravely declared. Oddly, no answer came. I was about to declare my presence again, but an intense stream of light shone down on my like a spotlight. I closed my eyes tightly to keep from going blind. While it was shining, I heard demonic laughter from all directions, but I couldn't see what or who was making the laugh. The black eagle landed on the top of the portal near the snake frieze, and watched intently. Suddenly, the light disappeared, and when I opened my eyes, I didn't see anything different, but when I looked down at the ground…my shadow was gone! I looked around, but even though the moons were shining brightly, it was nowhere to be found. But when I looked in front of me, I saw something…terrifying. There was a throbbing mound of shadowy black stuff, and…it was starting to grow. Could that have been my shadow? Like evolution in fast forward, the mound was starting to take on a corporeal form…a human shape. Its shape became more and more pronounced, and a face started to form. It looked at me…and it was _my_ face! And it was _my_ body that it took the shape of! Only the eyes were blood red. When this creature saw my shock, it smiled and started to laugh sinisterly.

"You have overcome many challenges to make it this far, mortal. Pity they were all in vain. None have faced the Guardian of Shadow and lived," said the creature. It may have looked like me, but it spoke in a demonic voice.

"Then I will be the first. I need to return to the Earth more than anything," I said bravely. The Guardian laughed again.

"Brave words, but they will avail you nothing. None have escaped from the Master's talons. The light that shone upon you told me all your fighting abilities. You may be one of the best duelists on Earth, but your reputation will not help you here. Only one will stand victorious," the creature continued, and equipped a Duel Disk very much like the one Thatehos's cultists have.

"I will face death head on!" I said, putting on my own, and our Life Points became 8,000.

"Then prepare to die. And when one dies in the afterlife, _nothing_ can restore it, not even your precious God!" the Guardian said confidently. We drew our hands, and when I looked at mine, I saw that I got Summoned Skull (2500/1200), Gagagigo (1850/1000), Cure Mermaid (1500/800), Rose Specter of Dunn (2000/1700), and Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600).

"I'll go first. I summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode!" said the Guardian. I was shocked at his declaration, and more so when the metallic serpent (2100/1600) appeared on the field. My mind was starting to race. Could this creature have the same Deck as me?

"I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in Defense Mode," I said, distraught that my enemy already had the advantage.

"Is that the best you can do? I guess I was wrong when the light read your mind. I activate Polymerization, and combine the Cyber Dragon on the field with the one in my hand, and make Cyber Twin Dragon!" the Guardian said. The Cyber Dragon on the field suddenly turned into its two-headed version (2800/2100). I was even more shocked now.

"Cyber Twin Dragon, destroy the Magnet Warrior!" the Guardian ordered. The head on the right launched an intense stream of energy at Beta, destroying him easily.

"And that's not all. As you may know, Cyber Twin Dragon can attack _twice_ during my turn. Now he'll take out your Life Points!" he explained. The head on the left launched another stream, which cut down my Life Points to 5,200. I had to think of something quickly, or I'd be doomed. I drew a card, and got Mirror Force. Talk about good luck.

"I summon Gagagigo in Defense Mode and lay another card facedown," I said, a little more confidently than usual.

"Ah, delicious fear. How its smell wafts off of you. I delight in its taste. And when I defeat you, I will have a feast of it. Cyber Twin Dragon, attack again!" the Guardian shouted. This time, I didn't flinch.

"What the hell are you smiling about?" the creature asked.

"My Trap Card: Mirror Force," I answered. The card revealed itself, and the Dragon's energy was reflected back to it, effectively destroying it.

"I don't believe it," the Guardian said.

"You should believe it. Gagagigo, attack his Life Points directly!" I said. The lizard man clawed at the Guardian of Shadow, reducing his Life Points to 6,150.

"And that's not all I'm doing," I said as I drew a card, and saw that I got - almost by sheer luck - Giga Gagagigo (2450/1500).

"I sacrifice Gagagigo and summon the stronger Giga Gagagigo," I said. Gagagigo was quickly replaced with his cyborg counterpart. "Giga Gagagigo, attack his Life Points directly as well!" With his mechanical claws, the Guardian's Life Points were cut down further to 3,700. All right, I was winning!

"You're only prolonging the inevitable, mortal. I summon Flame Ruler in Attack Mode, and I activate two spell cards at once: Spiritual Energy Settle Machine, and the Seal of Satan!" the Guardian said, shouting the last part. I couldn't believe it when he said that. He had my Deck, and the Seal of Satan with it! Just like the last times I encountered it, an animal made of evil energy appeared, but this time, it wasn't just any animal. It was…a Gigantoshambler! I wouldn't be lying if I said that my eyes widened with fear when I saw the creature once again. It may have just been a simulacrum of energy, but it roared, and once again I had to slam my hands onto my ears lest I go deaf. Then the demonic dinosaur sunk into the ground and turned into a ring that surrounded us. A line appeared within that turned it into a pentagram, which glowed brightly as the drawing finished. I then remembered my courage.

"You may have this card, but it won't stop me from rescuing the people I love," I said.

"Oh yes it will, especially when it'll show what's really in your heart," the Guardian said as he started to undergo another transformation. He looked like he was becoming more solid. In turn, his skin was becoming more crocodilian and turned a dark blue. His finger and toenails became the claws of a tiger. He grew vampire-like fangs, and the wings and tail of a dragon emerged from him. To top off the transformation, a pair of scimitar-like horns grew out of his forehead, and he grew to 10 feet in height. I was more shocked when this happened.

"Don't be afraid. After all, this is the real you," he said. Hearing that dispelled my shock and made me angrier than I'd ever been.

"You're wrong. That's _not_ what I really am!" I said defiantly.

"Oh yes you are. The light never lies. You're a selfish braggart who only duels to inflate his already massive ego," the Guardian continued.

"No. I play to _win_. And this duel couldn't be truer," I said.

"Let's see how well you can hold your word. I'm not the only one who transforms when the Seal of Satan comes into being," the demon said. The Flame Ruler started to change as well, turning into a demon engulfed in hellfire. Not only that, but his stats increased to 2500/2600.

"Hellfire Ruler, incinerate Giga Gagagigo!" the Guardian commanded. The evil mage launched a hail of fireballs on my monster, cruelly burning him and destroying him at the same time. My Life Points went down to 5,150.

I _really_ need to think of something now, I thought as I drew another card. I drew Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300). Great. Until I get some good cards, all I can do is defend.

"I summon Cyber Harpie Lady in Defense Mode," I said ruefully.

"Yes, give me your fear. I crave it!" the Guardian said almost ecstatically. "I activate Hellfire Ruler's special ability and summon Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi in Attack Mode, or should I say, Unholy Fire Elemental!" I was really worried now. The mage was replaced with the muscular fire spirit (2800/2900), who in turn transformed screaming into a living giant of hellfire, and his stats increased to 3800/3900!

"Unholy Fire Elemental, obliterate the Cyber Harpie Lady!" the Guardian shouted in evil ecstasy. Roaring, the elemental punched the harpy with the force of a charging rhinoceros! At least she was in Defense Mode.

I must not lose. There's too much on the line, Lily… I thought to myself as my thoughts strayed to her. I remembered the painful transformation as she became an inanimate ruby statue, a look of fear frozen upon her face, unable to speak, unable to move, unable to even think. If I didn't destroy this demon, she'd be stuck that way forever. I drew a card, and got Reduction Barrier. I felt a little better.

"I play one card facedown and end my turn," I said.

"What did I tell you about prolonging the inevitable? The inevitable is here! Unholy Fire Elemental, destroy him!" the Guardian shouted. The elemental roared again, and charged to punch me.

"I activate the Trap Card Reduction Barrier!" I shouted quickly before the punch connected. The trap revealed itself, and when the punch landed, I only felt very little of the pain. It was a good thing I activated the card; if it was the full force, I probably would have gotten crippled. Thus, my Life Points only dropped to 4,870.

"You think you're so clever, do you? Anything to inflate your ego?" the Guardian asked.

"No. There's more riding on this duel than mere victory. I must save Lily," I said.

"Spare me your love stories. You don't love her," the demon taunted. I got very angry upon hearing that.

"Yes, I do! I'd give my life to save her, and this duel is proof of that! Nothing will stop me from rescuing her," I said as I drew another card.

"Hmph. You may have prevented the Unholy Fire Elemental from landing the fatal blow, but I can change that. I summon your precious Cure Mermaid - actually, the Dark Siren - in Attack Mode!" the Guardian said. My favorite monster (1500/800) appeared on his side of the field, and the transformation was wretched. Her pink fish-scale outfit turned a zombie-like gray, and her skin became a deathly white. Her jewelry started to corrode, her hair turned black, and her normally cheerful expression became dour. In addition, her stats rose to 2500/1800.

"Dark Siren, finish the Unholy Fire Elemental's job!" the demon ordered. The Dark Siren shot a beam of ice at me, which reduced my Life Points to 2,370.

"I'll also lay one card facedown," he said coolly.

"That's not what I look like! Demetrios, finish this guy off!" the Cure Mermaid said as she appeared next to me, miffed about the makeover the Seal of Satan gave her.

"I'm trying, I'm trying," I said. "I summon the _real_ Cure Mermaid in Defense Mode," I said. Remembering the special ability of Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, I sent my Summoned Skull and Rose Specter of Dunn to the Graveyard and drew one more card: Pyramid of Light. Hopefully this would help.

"Thank you, thank you! Don't I look much better than that imposter?" the Cure Mermaid (the spirit one) said as the card one appeared.

"Oh, and guess what? Thanks to my Siren's ability, I gain Life Points", the Guardian said tauntingly. Indeed, his life points increased to 4,500.

"I activate the Pyramid of Light! Let's see how good your satanic powers are against this," I said. The huge bright pyramid appeared and encased us within its light. The Guardian was blinded when it appeared. This was very reckless, but I had to do it.

"I pay 1,000 of my own Life Points to summon Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia!" I said. The two leonine monsters (3000/2500 and 2500/3000 respectively) appeared on the field, but in Defense Mode. I couldn't risk any damage to my Life Points, which were already critical after my sacrifice. As my turn ended, my Life Points increased to 2,170.

"Your delaying tactics astound me. Let's see what you can come up with if I just end my turn, but not before I summon Enraged Battle Ox, actually the Enraged Hellish Minotaur," the Guardian said, again with a taunt. The minotaur axeman (1700/1000) appeared, and then turned into an enraged monster with stats of 2700/2000. His life points also increased to 5,300. I drew again, and got Nutrient Z. I never felt so desperate before, especially against my own monsters.

"I lay one card facedown and end my turn," I said ruefully, although my Life Points rose to 2,970.

"What a shame, because you're going to go out in a blaze of glory. Thanks to the rule that I must discard a card per turn whenever Spiritual Energy Settle Machine is on the field, I was able to get the materials I need for one of your favorite monsters…the Five-God Dragon!" said the Guardian triumphantly.

"Oh no…" I said fearfully, although that was what he wanted to hear. Even with the Cure Mermaid's help and Nutrient Z, I would need a miracle to survive this.

"Oh yes! I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Dragon Revival Ritual! With the Unholy Fire Elemental, Dark Siren and Enraged Hellish Minotaur on the field, I combine with Kazejin and Red-Eyes Black Dragon in my hand to create your doom!" the demon shouted. The two monsters he mentioned appeared on the field next to the ones already there, and just like when I summoned it, all five were engulfed in columns of their respective elements: the Unholy Fire Elemental with fire, Kazejin with wind, the Enraged Hellish Minotaur with the Earth, the Dark Siren with water, and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon with darkness. Once again, the dragon, eagle, lion, blue whale, and the demon appeared briefly. All five columns and elements combined, and in their wake, stood the Five-God Dragon, all five heads ready for battle (5000/5000).

"And what makes it better is that its stats increase just like any other monster I have in the Seal of Satan," the Guardian said. Indeed, the Five-God Dragon's stats rose to _6000/6000_!

"Oh God, I hope this works," I whispered.

"I heard that, and praying won't save you now. As a matter of fact, Dragon Revival Ritual won't be the only card I'll activate. The second will be Dust Tornado!" he said, showing the card.

"Dust Tornado, destroy the Pyramid of Light!" the Guardian continued. A huge tornado, in this case one resembling the infamous Tri-State Tornado of 1925, crashed down upon the Pyramid and tore it to shreds. After the last piece disappeared, Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia disappeared; they were not only destroyed, they were removed from play. Cure Mermaid was the only one left.

"And now, Five-God Dragon, destroy this so-called hero and champion and send him into the void of nothingness!" he shouted and roared, almost as loudly as the Gigantoshambler that turned into the Seal of Satan!

"What? But I have one monster left! You can't change the rules like that!" I argued.

"I'm a demon; I _make_ the rules! Obliterate him!" the Guardian continued. The Cure Mermaid and I stood our ground, and took the combined stream of all five attacks. The Guardian of Shadow laughed evilly and triumphantly, but when the smoke cleared…we still stood, with 970 Life Points to spare.

"WHAT? How in Satan's name did this happen? You should be nonexistent!" the demon said, shocked that I lived.

"Nutrient Z, and my will to defeat you and save the woman I love," I said as I coolly drew another card. It was Gift of the Mystical Elf.

"I pay 500 more Life Points summon the one monster that can destroy yours: Theinen the Great Sphinx!" I said. As my Life Points fell to 470, the greatest of the three Sphinx monsters (3500/3000) appeared on the field and roared a ferocious battle roar.

"Next, I activate the Trap Card, Gift of the Mystical Elf to increase my Life Points," I said. The Mystical Elf appeared and chanted a soothing hymn, which caused two rings of light to briefly glow around my monsters, which raised my Life Points to 1,070.

"With the extra Life Points, I pay 500 of them to increase Theinen's Attack Points by 3,000," I explained. The sphinx growled with the energy flow as his Attack Points rose to 6500. "Theinen, destroy the Five-God Dragon!" I said. Theinen roared again and flew to the Dragon. He tore off two heads with both claws, and ripped open the dragon's chest, destroying the monster and reducing the Guardian's Life Points to 4,800. It may not have been much, but it was a start. Theinen's Attack Points dropped back to 3,500 and my Life Points rose to 1,370.

"I told you I will win," I said bravely. I could also feel a sense of pride returning to me. Would I be the first one to defeat the Guardian of Shadow and leave Hell? I may very well be as I drew again and got Polymerization. This could come in handy, I thought.

"Don't celebrate just yet, mortal! I activate the Spell Card, A Deal with Dark Ruler! With this, I summon the Berserk Dragon, which I'll equip with the Violet Crystal!" the Guardian roared. The terrible undead dragon (3500/0) appeared on the field, and just like the monsters before it, its stats rose to 4500/1000, and then to 4800/1300.

"Berserk Dragon, destroy Theinen!" the Guardian shouted, who started to sound kind of desperate himself. The Dragon unleashed a stream of hellfire, destroying Theinen and reducing my Life Points to _70_, the lowest they've ever been!

"Yes, I'm well aware that the Berserk Dragon loses Attack Points at the end of each turn, but Violet Crystal will slow it down," the demon explained. True to what he said, the Dragon's Attack Points dropped to 4300.

"I won't lose!" I said as I drew another card. I saw that I got my own Cyber Dragon. I would just need the other two and Polymerization.

"I summon Cyber Dragon in Defense Mode and end my turn," I said. I was back to square one. At least my Life Points rose to 870.

"At least I have you back in a corner again. Berserk Dragon, destroy his Cure Mermaid!" the Guardian declared triumphantly. The Dragon destroyed my mermaid just as easily as it had Theinen, but at least she was in Defense Mode. The spirit of her groaned with annoyance. The Berserk Dragon's Attack Points dropped to 3800.

"Don't worry, I won't let your sacrifice be in vain," I said as I drew another card: my second Cyber Dragon. But what to do until I get the other two cards? Surely this guy wasn't going to go easy on me.

"What a delightful conundrum. Do I destroy your final monster and end this, or do I just let you suffer? Tell you what; I'll skip my turn and let you go again, not that it'll do you any good," the Guardian said as his Dragon's Attack Points went down to 3300.

Come on, Heart of the Cards, I said as I drew again. I got Pot of Greed. Hopefully this would work.

"I activate Pot of Greed, and draw two more cards," I said. The demon only laughed.

"Draw as many times as you want, but you cannot destroy me. No one can, and no one ever will," he said defiantly.

I need to rescue Lily, so please God, lend me your helping hand one more time, I thought to myself as I drew two more cards. They were…my _third_ Cyber Dragon and…Megamorph! The winning combination!

"All right, I told you I'd be the first one to defeat you, and I'll prove it! I activate Polymerization, and combine my three Cyber Dragons to forge the ultimate machine: the Cyber End Dragon!" I triumphantly declared. The two other dragons combined with the one I had on the field to create the three-headed winged machine (4000/2800).

"And just like you, I won't stop at activating the Spell Card that created my best monster. I activate Megamorph! And since my Life Points are so much lower than yours, my Dragon's Attack Points double," I said. True to what I said, the Cyber End Dragon's Attack Points rose to 8000!

"No, you can't! No one has defeated the Guardian of Shadow!" the demon said with…fear?

"There's a first time for everything. Cyber End Dragon, destroy the Berserk Dragon with Super Strident Blaze and end this duel!" I said. All three heads fired intense streams of energy, obliterating the Berserk Dragon and sending the Guardian's Life Points crashing down to 0.

"I've won the challenge. Now let me pass," I said.

"No…NO! This wasn't supposed to happen! I am invincible!" the Guardian said in a panic. Suddenly, streams of light started to shoot out of his body. He started crying out in pain as more light erupted from him.

"NOOO!" the Guardian of Shadow shouted as he was completely enveloped in light…and destroyed. Once again, I felt proud of myself. I was the first person ever to defeat the Guardian of Shadow and earn the way back home. Suddenly, I heard clapping. Thankfully, it wasn't a demon sarcastically clapping and hoping to challenge me to another fight. I saw a man wearing a black judge's robe clapping proudly.

"You have done well, mortal hero. You are the first one to defeat the Guardian of Shadow," he said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Minos, formerly the King of Crete and now Judge of the Dead. Your victory has given me hope, something I haven't felt in eons. I have seen many determined people of all races fight against the Guardian, but none of them won. I lost hope that someone would ever defeat the demon; as you may have seen, many people have unfortunately been sent here against their will by the Curse of Dark Genocide. Your victory, however, will change that. For that, I thank you," he said as he approached me.

"Your welcome. Believe me, I need to get home more than anything. If I don't, my world is doomed, and I'll never get to rescue Lily," I said.

"Your victory over the Guardian will more than steel you for your fight against Thatehos. But you will need more than that. For your victory, I want you to have these. You have more than earned them," Minos said, handing me something. They were more Duel Monsters cards. When I looked at them, I was more than surprised.

"I don't believe it…these are the Elemental Heroes!" I said. I heard about this series, but I never saw it. I saw the first four of the roster: Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix, Elemental Hero Clayman, and Elemental Hero Sparkman.

"Yes, they are. Take them; not only will they strengthen your Deck, they will serve as a testament to your courage and the great deed you accomplished this day. The portal is open to you now. Goodbye, brave hero, and good luck," Minos continued.

"Thank you. I _will_ defeat Thatehos," I said. Thankful for the new cards but not wanting to spend any more time on this literally godforsaken planet, I ran up the stairs and dived into the swirling madness of the portal. The black eagle, who watched the whole fight and my victory, let out an angry and disappointed squawk, and flew away.

I felt like I was flying through outer space, seeing the planets of all sizes and extraordinarily beautiful nebulae. At a couple of points I closed my eyes from the intensity, but when I opened them at last…I was back on the Earth! As a matter of fact, I was in the same place as I left! I was about to say how good it was to be home again, but then I remembered where I was and how much lower the temperature of the Earth is compared to hell, and fell asleep shivering.

My sleep wasn't uneventful, though. In my dream, I saw Shandara.

"Demetrios, you're alive!" she said, running up to me and hugging me tightly.

"I'm glad to see you too, Shandara. Man, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," I said.

"I've heard about your victory over the Guardian of Shadow, and your reward of the Elemental Heroes. You're more the hero than I could have dreamed," Shandara said proudly.

"Thanks. But Shandara, may I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure, anything," she said.

"Who am I? Where did I come from? And where did this come from?" I asked, indicating my sword for the last question.

"Don't you remember your visions? You are the reincarnation of the last Prince of Atlantis. You were the crown prince and a heroic paladin. Lily was an aspiring mage, and you two were very much in love. You two even fought side by side in the battle for Atlantis, and Dragon Claw was your sword," Shandara explained.

"So I'm from Atlantis? The legendary continent? How does Thatehos play into this?" I asked further.

"He hailed from Atlantis's greatest friend and rival, Lemuria. Ever since he was young, he desired the taste of power, which corrupts far more terribly than any material greed. When he became the terrible warlock he is now, he decimated Lemuria and its survivors were enslaved by an ancient race. He then attacked Atlantis with an army of monsters and demons at his side," she explained further.

"I remember that vision. Did I fight him?" I asked.

"Yes, you fought Thatehos in personal combat. His magic was powerful, but you never gave up. The Atlanteans defeated Thatehos and his demons, but he would have his revenge. He cast a curse on your best friends, Timaeus, Critias, and Helmos. That is why they are now dragons," she answered. I was shocked upon hearing this.

"He did that to them?" I asked.

"Yes, and worse. In a final act of revenge, he also cast a curse on Atlantis's most famous resource, orichalcum. He overloaded the veins and ore with evil magic, thus destroying Atlantis and sending it sinking beneath the waves. That is why the Seal of Orichalcos is evil," she answered.

"He _is_ a monster," I said, angry that Thatehos was the cause of the loss of my ancestral home.

"And that is why he founded the Esoteric Order of the Dark Sunrise. He knew that you and Lily, the knight and the sorceress, would eventually reincarnate, so he founded the cult to protect himself and kill any potential threats. It has changed members many times over the years, but the mission is always the same: to prevent you and Lily from achieving victory over him and avenging the loss of Atlantis, and to allow Satan to destroy the world," Shandara said.

"Don't worry, I _will_ defeat him," I said.

"That is good to hear. Now it is time for you to begin your journey again," she said. Then I woke up and saw another welcome sight: Moon Shadow was rubbing his muzzle against my face in the hopes of waking me up.

"Moon Shadow!" I said, getting up and hugging him again.

"I sure am glad to see you again. How did you survive?" I asked. He simply shook his head.

"You're right, we'd better not get into déjà vu. Now let's get going. We have a world and a girlfriend to save," I said as I got onto his back; I could tell he felt glad to have me riding him again. Doing my best to remember where everything was, we galloped off to Thatehos's monastery.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter XV

Endless Rage

As tough as Moon Shadow was, he eventually slowed down from the galloping and took on a brisk walking gait. It was probably good that he did, because I couldn't help but look around and admire all the plant life. Perhaps it took an exposure to a very warped realm of nature to make one appreciate the works of Mother Earth more. While we were walking, I took a look at my new cards. I couldn't help but feel good as I looked at the Elemental Heroes. With these guys, there was no way I could lose. While I was looking through them, there were two that couldn't have been part of the Elemental Hero series. One of them was called "Legend of Heart". Its picture was of all three Legendary Dragons: Timaeus, Critias, and Helmos, and three swords. Was this one of those cards that was blank? It must have been, because I couldn't find those anywhere. I would probably need all three Legendary Dragons to make it work. But how to get them? I knew Yugi and Joey would be more than happy to lend me theirs, but Kaiba? That was another story. The other card was truly unique. It was called "Angel's Mirror", and its picture certainly matched the name. It was an incredibly beautiful blonde-haired angel, wearing a white dress and holding a very artistically-made mirror in her hand, admiring herself in it.

"Heavenly," I said.

"You sure are right about that," said the Cure Mermaid's voice as she appeared next to me.

"Is this card that good?" I asked.

"Yes. It only shows itself to those who are most worthy. And your defeat of the Guardian of Shadow is more than proof of that," the Mermaid explained.

"Wow, I accomplished a lot," I said, again proud of myself.

"Watch out! There's danger approaching!" she explained. Before I could prepare myself, I was punched off of Moon Shadow! No; that was more than a punch. I felt like I got hit by a gorilla! I was lucky I didn't get knocked unconscious. I got up and rubbed my jaw as I collected my cards.

"That seems to happen a lot, doesn't it?" I asked myself.

"Ah, if it isn't the bad old-fashioned lover boy. We meet at last," said a sinister voice with an unmistakable Indian accent. I looked up and saw the most bizarre man I ever saw. He was incredibly tall; possibly an easy seven and a half feet. I couldn't deny the handsomeness of his face; it looked like one of the Greek gods, probably Hermes or Apollo, or maybe even Zeus himself. However, while his face was like that of a god, his body looked like a sick committee-designed combination of animals. His black leather duster jacket did little to hide his massive grizzly bear-like chest. His arms were so full of muscles that they almost looked like those of a gorilla; as a matter of fact, I couldn't help calling them forelegs. His huge black boots made his feet look like those of an elephant; in this case, a furious bull elephant. I don't know how he did it, but he also had a Dark Duel Disk attached to his left arm.

"And you are?" I asked as I got back up.

"I am Inderfar Hrishikesh, the strongest of Thatehos's cultists and your executioner," he said. I was shocked upon hearing this. So much for my stealthy approach.

"What? How did Thatehos know I'm alive?" I asked.

"Didn't you learn anything from Abaddon? Thatehos sees all, and believe me, he was quite furious when he found out that you were still alive. _Nothing_ can survive the Curse of Dark Genocide, and he assigned me to make sure it stays that way," he said as he turned his Duel Disk on.

"There's a first time for everything, Inderfar. I should know; I said the same thing to the Guardian of Shadow," I said, activating my own.

"Hmm, the Guardian must be losing his touch. But you won't find me so easy. Let's duel!" he said.

"With pleasure," I said confidently. I felt something different this time; the confidence was not arrogant; it was true. I felt I could defeat this guy.

"I'll start with one of my best friends: the Mad Dog of Darkness in Attack Mode!" Inderfar said. A fierce dog (1900/1400) appeared on the field, ready to attack.

"Allow me, then," I said as I drew my hand. It was only my first draw and I already had a good selection: Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000), Hero Barrier, Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400), Polymerization, and Elemental Hero Necroshade (1600/1800).

"I place three cards facedown," I said. Not mentioning which ones they were, one of them appeared horizontally and the other two appeared vertically behind it.

"Is that all? The Guardian really is losing his touch. Mad Dog of Darkness, sic 'em!" Inderfar shouted. The demoniac dog barked ferociously, and charged toward my facedown monster.

"Actually, you must be losing _yours_. You attacked my Elemental Hero Clayman," I said. The card flipped face-up and the clay golem was revealed. The Mad Dog bit down on the rocky body and backed off in pain. As a result of the higher Defense Points, Inderfar's Life Points dropped to 7,900.

"What? How can you have the Elemental Heroes?" he asked with shock.

"Funny thing. Maledict asked the same thing about Joey having the Claw of Helmos, and he got his butt kicked as a result," I explained.

"Maledict was weak and irrelevant; _I_ shall be the one to bring you down, oh-so-brave Knight of Atlantis. Tell me, are you familiar with the story of Beauty and the Beast?" Inderfar asked.

"Huh?" I asked with confusion. First Maledict brought up a reference to "Alice in Wonderland", and now this? For a bunch of crazy maniacs who want to destroy the world, they certainly seemed to like fairy tales.

"Right now, you see the part of beauty," he said as he slowly ran his thumb and index finger along his chin and smiled.

"That's debatable," I whispered.

"And when I activate the Seal of Satan…" he said, this time without drama as opposed to the other users of it, as he slid the card into the slot for Field Spell Cards. Just like the other three, an animal made of evil energy appeared on the field: this time a grizzly bear. The bear roared at me ferociously, and sank into the ground, becoming the ring of the pentagram. The star appeared within immediately, and the pentagram glowed brightly.

"…and now you shall see the beast!" Inderfar shouted in a demonic voice as his eyes became like those of a snake. He kicked off his boots in time for me to watch his feet turn into the hooves of a mountain goat; a sight I wish I didn't have to see. A long thin dragon-like tail emerged from his backside. His fingernails turned into claws, and his duster jacket ripped apart as huge bat-like wings emerged from his back. Just like Melissa, the horns that grew from Inderfar's forehead looks like scimitars, only with a broader blade.

"Whoa, talk about plastic surgery," I said.

"Of course, there're more than my improved looks that comes with this card. My monsters are also improved," he said. Indeed, the Mad Dog's stats increased to 2900/2400. "Mad Dog of Darkness, attack the weakling's Elemental Hero again and show no mercy!" The dog howled with renewed fury and charged toward Elemental Hero Clayman.

"That's what _you_ think. I activate the Trap Card, Hero Barrier," I said. An energy shield of green, red, blue and yellow appeared in front of Clayman, easily stopping the Mad Dog's attack.

"You're beginning to annoy me," Inderfar said contemptuously.

"I aim to please. And that's not all my Elemental Heroes can do. I activate Polymerization, with which I can turn my Clayman and my Elemental Hero Sparkman into Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!" I said. I activated the Spell Card, and the two Heroes combined into a colossal warrior overflowing with electricity (2400/1500).

"You've got to be kidding," said Inderfar with a little uncharacteristic nervousness.

"Why would I want to joke about this good turn of events? After all, with Thunder Giant, I can get rid of one of your monsters whose original Attack Points are lower than his own. And your rabid mutt certainly qualified," I said as I sent Necroshade to the Graveyard to activate his effect.

"Thunder Giant, blow the Mad Dog of Darkness away!" I said. Charging up his electricity, the Thunder Giant launched a huge stream of lightning at the Mad Dog, easily destroying him.

"And the best part: that was just his special ability. Now he'll attack you directly!" I said. The Thunder Giant repeated his attack, shocking Inderfar intensely and bringing his Life Points down to 5,500.

"This is pretty fun," I said with a smile. It was a while since I actually had fun at dueling.

"You think a life-and-death duel is fun? It isn't. And I'll prove it with my next monster: Berserk Gorilla. Actually, make that the Bloodlust Gorilla," he said. A fierce battle-ready gorilla (2000/1000) appeared on the field. Suddenly, it grew even larger and as it roared its battle cry, its eyes and fists turned blood red as its stats increased to 3000/2000.

"You didn't tell me you had family in this game," I said.

"Shut up, knight scum! Bloodlust Gorilla, rip his Elemental Zero Thunder Giant apart!" Inderfar shouted. The gorilla charged forward and pummeled the Thunder Giant with his massive fists, destroying him easily and reducing my Life Points to 7,400.

"'Knight scum'? What do you have against me, anyway?" I asked.

"Your love for that magic wench Lily sickens me," Inderfar answered venomously.

"And I thought people disapproved of Melissa," I said.

"When Thatehos told me all about you, I was disgusted with what I saw. Your borderline fairy tale romance was the epitome of everything I hate. What kind of man are you?"

"Says the guy who compared his demonic transformation to Beauty and the Beast," I taunted.

"Shut up! I, however, am the epitome of what men _should_ be. I am strong, unbeatable, and am like a lion when it comes to women. I am _not_ some sissy lover-boy like you are," he sneered.

"You might want to add 'arrogant' to that list," I said. "What did Lily and I ever do to you?"

"Do I have to repeat myself? Thatehos's enemy is _my_ enemy. But it did not have to be this way. If only you got rid of that skank and became like me, we wouldn't have to be enemies," he said. I made a very obvious grunt of disgust.

"That's a nice thought. Now why don't you go somewhere and _evolve_?" I asked.

"I think you should follow your own advice. You'll have plenty of time to evolve…when you're back in Hell!" Inderfar roared.

"You're not sending _me_ back there," I said as I drew my next card. It was Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200).

"I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Defense Mode. And don't let his name fool you; the water he shoots can be quite deadly," I said. The aquatic superhero appeared on the field, ready for battle. "And that's not all. That was a successful Special Summon, so I get to draw two more cards." I did, and saw that I got Hero Signal and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800).

"I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in Defense Mode and I lay another card facedown." The fiery superheroine appeared next to Bubbleman and the facedown card appeared behind them.

"Is that all? I activate Cost Down, and by discarding a card from my hand, I can turn Airknight Parshath into a Level 3 monster and summon him in Defense Mode - no, wait - make that _Darknight_ Parshath in Defense Mode, and I lay a facedown card of my own." The angelic centaur (1900/1400) appeared on the field, and then quickly turned into his demonic counterpart. As was expected, his stats rose to 2900/2400, and then its Attack Points rose again by an additional 100.

"Bloodlust Gorilla, destroy his Bubbleman!" the incubus declared. Once again, the gorilla pounded my monster into oblivion. Thankfully, he was in Defense Mode.

"Ready to give up?" he asked invitingly.

"Not on your life, not as long as Lily still needs me. Besides, you activated my Trap: Hero Signal!" I said. A spotlight appeared and shot a beam of light with a stylized "H" into the air.

"Now I can choose another Elemental Hero from anywhere in my Deck in addition to my regular draw," I said as I drew another card. I looked, and I saw that I was having much good luck: I got Pot of Greed.

"Well well, talk about good luck. I activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed, so now I can draw two more cards," I said, and did so. The additional cards were Skyscraper and another Polymerization. I couldn't help but smile. "I activate my second Spell Card, Skyscraper, and I know which Elemental Hero I'll choose: Avian," I said. The winged hero (1000/1000) appeared on the field next to Burstinatrix, ready to attack. Suddenly, massive skyscrapers emerged from the ground and encased us in a city. Our battlefield was seemingly reduced to a mere large part of the sidewalk.

"Like your new playground? Well you should, because the fun doesn't stop here. I activate my third and final Spell Card for this turn: Polymerization again. I combine Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix to make one of my new favorites: Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" I said. The two superheroes combined and made an impressive warrior with the head of a red dragon for a right hand (2100/1200).

"So what? He's still no match for my monsters," Inderfar said.

"That's what _you_ think. Remember me saying the fun doesn't stop here? Well it doesn't. Thanks to Skyscraper, my Hero gets a thousand extra Attack Points when he attacks a monster of yours. And I think I'll go after your gorilla. Flame Wingman, destroy the Bloodlust Gorilla!" I said. True to what I said, thanks to his new environment, the Flame Wingman's Attack Points rose to 3100. He dived toward the demonic gorilla and unleashed a stream of fire onto him, destroying him easily.

"It just gets better from there. When Flame Wingman destroys a monster, he then attacks _you_ for the same amount of original Attack Points that your monster had," I said. Inderfar started to look worried. The Flame Wingman unleashed another stream of flame onto him, and his Life Points dropped to 3,400.

"I love these new cards," I said proudly.

"Can it, Crap-eo, because I activate two Spell Cards of my own: Curse of Fiend and Dian Keto the Cure Master. First, I gain a thousand of the Life Points you took away, and then my Parshath becomes offensive and your Flame Wingman becomes defensive, which isn't good - for you," he said. His Life Points rose to 4,400 and our monsters switched their stances. With this advantage, the Darknight Parshath galloped forward and eviscerated the Flame Wingman.

"In addition, I will summon another monster, one I think I can relate to: the Giant Orc," he said. A huge Orc (2200/0) wielding a massive bone as a weapon appeared on the field, and since the Seal of Satan was still active, his stats rose to 3200/1000.

"Giant Orc, attack his Life Points directly!" he said. The warrior charged to me and whacked me with the bone. It felt more painful than usual, and my Life Points dropped to 4,200! The Giant Orc switched to Defense Mode afterward.

"Looks like your advantage is gone, and victory is mine," Inderfar said. "Just like it has always been, and so it shall be with you."

"Don't count on it. Every winning streak comes to an end eventually; I said the same thing to the Guardian of Shadow as well," I responded.

"Want to bet? As you may know, I was a very famous wrestler in India. I was unique because in addition to my physical strength, I often gave my opponents challenges. But I still always won," he explained. I then remembered something I read in a magazine somewhere.

"So you're the guy who-" I began.

"Yes. I was the guy who famously downed a whole bottle of sleeping pills before a fight; I was feeling merciful that way. And wouldn't you know it? I still won. I continued challenging my enemies that way, and I always came out on top. It only came to a stop because those pussies at the World Wrestling Entertainment commission thought I was going too far; they said I was practically _killing_ my opponents. Well isn't that the whole point of wrestling? To beat your opponent into submission?" he said.

"Yes, but not to _kill_ them," I said. That story also sounded familiar.

"Ha! If I had my way, I'd be unstoppable. And I still am, which I think I just demonstrated," he continued.

"Not if I can help it," I said, drawing another card. Come on, Heart of the Cards, I said. I saw the card I drew: Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800). Excellent.

"You're about to get some more taste of my Elemental Heroes: specifically Elemental Hero Bladedge. And guess what: since Elemental Hero Necroshade is in the Graveyard, I can summon Bladedge without any tributes," I said. The golden warrior appeared on the field.

"Elemental Hero Bladedge, destroy the Darknight Parshath!" I said. Thanks to Skyscraper, Bladedge's Attack Points increased to 3600, and he charged to the centaur. Using the blades on his bracers, he cut up the Darknight, reducing Inderfar's Life Points to 3,900.

"Did you forget my Giant Orc? I summon Second Goblin in Attack Mode, and with him I can change my Giant Orc back to Attack Mode whenever I want," he said. A small goblin wearing an eye patch (100/100, and then 1100/1100) appeared on the Giant Orc's right shoulder, and the Giant Orc became offensive again.

"Giant Orc, destroy Elemental Hero Bladedge!" Inderfar ordered. The Orc smashed Bladedge in with his bone mallet, reducing my Life Points to 3,600. The Giant Orc switched back to Defense Mode.

"I'm not done yet," I said as I drew another card. I got The Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200).

"All right, I summon The Fiend Megacyber in Attack Mode," I said, and the cybernetic warrior appeared.

"Destroy the Giant Orc!" I said. The Megacyber prepared to punch, but then the Second Goblin jumped off of the Giant Orc and took the blow instead.

"Huh? What?" I asked.

"Don't you know anything about Union Monsters? When its comrade comes under attack, the Union Monster takes the bullet instead," Inderfar explained as the Second Goblin dropped dead.

"Oh great," I said.

"You may have bought yourself some time for now, Atlantean scum, but the next turn I will be devastating," he said, since the Giant Orc was now stuck in Defense Mode for now.

"So will I," I said as I drew another card: Graceful Charity. Great. I needed two cards to activate it, but I didn't have any.

"I lay a card facedown for now, and I switch The Fiend Megacyber to Defense Mode," I said as the two actions took place.

"Is that all? Because look at the card I just drew: Monster Reborn. With this, I'll bring back my Second Goblin, and equip him back to my Giant Orc," he said. The goblin came back to life and jumped back onto the larger monster's shoulder. With that, Inderfar was able to switch his monster back to Attack Mode.

"Destroy the Fiend Megacyber!" Inderfar ordered. The Giant Orc did so, and this time the attack went through.

"Looks like you're all out of options," Inderfar said as his turn ended.

"But I'm not out of cards," I retorted as I drew one more time: I got Wroughtweiler this time (800/1200). Now this guy could help out.

"I summon Wroughtweiler in Defense Mode," I said.

"Looks like I was right. Giant Orc, destroy that mangy dog and avenge the Mad Dog of Darkness!" he said. The Orc attacked again, easily destroying my Wroughtweiler. Thanks to his effect, though, I got two cards out of my Graveyard: Elemental Hero Bladedge and one of my Polymerizations. I took them into my hand, but I couldn't use these for Graceful Charity, after all the hard work I did just to get them. Thankfully, it was my turn again, and I was able to draw. I drew…Angel's Mirror. I really did have the Heart of the Cards on my side. Time to see what she could do.

"Hmm, since Necroshade is still in my Graveyard, I can bring back Bladedge, and I activate the Spell Card Angel's Mirror," I said. The hero appeared on the field and the card did as well, and uniquely, the card glowed so brightly with heavenly light that I wasn't affected, but Inderfar covered his snakelike eyes with his demonic hands.

"Whoa, cool."

Elsewhere in the wilderness, Yugi suddenly sensed something.

"What is it, Yugi?" Téa asked.

"Do you guys feel that?" Yugi asked.

"What are you talking about?" Tristan asked.

"Don't worry, Yugi; I feel it, too. I can hardly believe it myself: Demetrios is alive," the Pharaoh said as he appeared next to Yugi.

"Guys, you won't believe this, but Demetrios is alive!" Yugi said excitedly. Téa gasped.

"He is?" she asked.

"This is incredible. He actually came back to life?" Tristan added.

"Yes, and from what I can feel, he's dueling," Yugi continued.

"What if he's in danger?" Téa wondered.

"Forget Thatehos for now; we need to help Demetrios however we can!" Tristan said, hauling Joey's comatose body back onto him and running.

"Tristan, wait! You don't know where he is!" Yugi said as he and Téa ran after him.

"You are not good! You are a pussy, a charlatan!" he said.

"That's what _you_ think. Bladedge, attack the Giant Orc!" I ordered. Amazingly, Bladedge's Attack Points increased to _4600_! I looked incredibly surprised when this happened.

"Weren't you paying attention? The Second Goblin gets destroyed instead," Inderfar said with annoyance.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to happen. Now you're motionless," I said as the Second Goblin died…again.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. But not for long," he said sinisterly. I drew another card, and saw that I got Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600). I could use him.

"Now for the main event. Elemental Hero Bladedge, destroy the Giant Orc!" I commanded. After a long wait, Bladedge finally destroyed the Giant Orc.

"And here's the beauty part: when Bladedge destroys a monster in Defense Mode, the extra damage goes to you," I said. True to what I said, Inderfar's Life Points dropped to 2,300.

"You'll pay for this, knight! I'll have you know you're not the only one with heroes, for I summon Destiny Hero - Doom Lord!" he said. A sinister-looking man with deadly white skin and wearing demonic-looking regalia (600/800) appeared on the field, and his stats rose to 1600/1800.

"Uh, he doesn't look very heroic," I said.

"That's what everyone said about me. That's why I was exiled from my village, as they didn't understand my ways. But enough of that. Doom Lord, activate your ability and send Bladedge to another dimension!" he said. The Doom Lord pointed one of his clawed gauntlets at Bladedge, and fired a bizarre kind of beam at him, causing him to disappear.

"What did you do to my hero?" I asked.

"Don't worry; he'll be back soon. Unfortunately, having done that, I cannot attack, but I can do the next best thing: I activate the Spell Card, Goblin Thief. With this card, you lose 500 Life Points and I _gain_ 500," Inderfar said sinisterly. With a stab of pain, my Life Points dropped to 3,100, while his increased to 2,800.

"You think that'll stop me?" I said as I drew one more time. I got Machine Conversion Factory.

"All right, I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity. By getting rid of two cards, now I can draw three," I said. I discarded Beta and the Machine Conversion Factory, and drawing the three new cards, I got Cure Mermaid (1500/800), Banner of Courage, and Elemental Hero Wildheart (1500/1600).

"I summon Cure Mermaid in Defense Mode, and I activate the Spell Card Banner of Courage," I said. Both cards appeared on the field, and incredibly, just like the spirit, the Cure Mermaid looked just like Lily! The resemblance was astounding.

"Oooh, you brought your little girlfriend to fight your battles for you. You're pathetic," Inderfar said contemptuously.

"No, I'm prepared, and that's why I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in Attack Mode," I said. The fierce warrior appeared, sword at the ready.

"Wildheart, show that Destiny Hero imposter what you're made of," I ordered. With a fierce battle cry, the Banner of Courage increased his Attack Points to 1900 (1700 under normal circumstances), and then Wildheart cut the Doom Lord easily with his sword and sent Inderfar's Life Points down to 2,500. With him gone, Bladedge suddenly came back. And with the Cure Mermaid around, my Life Points rose to 3,900.

"You're also not the only one with healing powers. I activate the Spell Card, Spell Absorption. Now every time a Spell Card is activated, I gain 500 Life Points. And what do you know? I have three more with me. I activate _both_ of my extra Dian Keto the Cure Masters, and I'm going to get rid of that Skyscraper of yours and replace it with Clock Tower Prison, so try to guess how many Life Points I gain," said Inderfar confidently. I couldn't believe it myself: his Life Points went from a critical 2,500 to a safe 6,000! Great, I was back to Square 1. Not only that, but the skyscrapers surrounding us disappeared and were replaced with a building eerily similar to the Palace of Westminster, complete with the clock tower. The clock read 11:00 at night.

"And I can put one counter on it, and four of which will spell your doom," he said. Suddenly, the minute hand sprang forward to the three, making it read 11:15.

I don't want to know what that does, I thought as I drew another card. I drew Monster Reborn.

"I lay two cards facedown," I said.

"Is that all? Well I summon Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude, and his diamonds will be your worst enemy," he said. A man wearing a black cloak and - disturbingly - had many large diamonds growing out of his body (1400/1600) appeared on the field, and then his stats increased to 2400/2600.

"Diamond Dude, show our enemy here why the Destiny Heroes easily overshadow the Elemental Heroes!" Inderfar ordered. The Destiny Hero removed one of the large diamonds from his body - which, not surprisingly, was covered in blood - and threw it at Wildheart, easily killing him and dropping my Life Points to 3,000.

Why isn't he destroying Bladedge? He clearly can. What's he up to? I thought as I drew another card. This one was a good one: Miracle Fusion. I'd have to save it for an emergency, though.

"I lay one card facedown and end my turn," I said. Although my Life Points did increase to 3,800, thanks to my Mermaid.

"Well what a shame, because your lack of strategy just sprang my clock forward," Inderfar pointed out, and it became 11:30.

"And thanks to my Monster Reborn, I gain not only 500 more Life Points, but another Destiny Hero returns: Captain Tenacious," he continued. His Life Points increased to 6,500, and a Destiny Hero with wild red hair and had large black wing-shaped shields on both arms (800/800, and then 1800/1800) appeared on the field. Suddenly, the clock rushed to 11:45.

Hmm, look how confused he is. I have not only messed with his body, thanks to my Seal of Satan, but his mind as well. This will be easy, once I summon _him_, Inderfar thought as he looked down at his Deck.

Whatever that clock does, I must stop it, I thought as I drew again. I got Skyscraper 2 - Hero City.

"I lay a facedown card one more time and end my turn," I said, hoping this strategy would work, the one that I just thought up. My Life Points increased to 4,600.

"You disappoint me, Demetrios, because I heard that you were one of the best duelists in the world. Ha! It would seem that when you come up against a _real_ opponent like me, you're powerless, even with the cards that you may have won from the Guardian of Shadow. Melissa was right," he said with a sneer.

"No, she wasn't. If she was right, then she'd be around to talk about it, now would she?" I reminded him.

"Well _I_ will succeed where _she_ failed, which shall be caused by the clock striking midnight!" he said. As if in response to his proclamation, the clock struck midnight and the bell tolled loudly.

"What does that mean?" I asked loudly.

"It means your doom. Now none of your attacks will hurt me," Inderfar said with a confident and sinister smile.

"Not if I can help it. I activate Monster Reborn and bring back Elemental Hero Wildheart, and I activate another Field Spell Card: Skyscraper 2 - Hero City! You destroyed my last Field Spell Card with yours, and now it's payback time!" I said. The clock tower quickly disappeared as a futuristic city replaced it. However, Inderfar was still smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked, even though my Life Points increased to 5,400.

"You did exactly what I wanted you to do: with the Clock Tower Prison destroyed, I can unleash its most devastating prisoner: Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster! And believe me, he's just ravenous for another fight!" Inderfar declared proudly. A _huge_ human-like creature (?/?), possibly even bigger than Inderfar himself, landed between the two monsters he already had. His muscles were enormous, and he was wearing a metal helmet that concealed half of his face and a large gold chain with a lock in the middle of it that had a large "D" on it.

"And here's the best part. When he's around, he can protect his fellow Destiny Heroes for the remainder of this turn, and he can resurrect up to two other such creatures. So let's welcome back Destiny Hero - Doom Lord," Inderfar explained. Just as he said it, the Doom Lord returned.

"And that's not all: Dreadmaster gains the combined original Attack and Defense Points of all Destiny Heroes on the field with him, and he gains the powers of the Seal of Satan as well!" Inderfar was now laughing evilly. Just like he described, the Dreadmaster roared with fury and his stats first rose to 2800/3200, and then as the monster's eyes glowed red, they increased further to _3800/4200_!

"Dreadmaster, destroy the Bladedge!" the incubus shouted. With one massive punch, Bladedge was easily destroyed, and my Life Points dropped to 4,200.

"Diamond Dude, destroy Wildheart; Tenacious, destroy the Cure Mermaid, and Doom Lord, attack his Life Points directly!" Inderfar ordered. All three monsters attacked, sending Wildheart and the Cure Mermaid to the Graveyard and making my Life Points plummet to 2,400!

"Any last words, Demetrios? I'm sure the demons will be happy to see you again," Inderfar said.

"Yes, actually, I do have one more thing to say," I said as I drew one more card. "Come on, be something good.

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light!"

"What?" Inderfar said in shock as the blades of light descended from the sky and made his monsters immobile.

"You're even worse than Melissa said you were," Inderfar said. "Plus you made my Life Points 7,000. It'll take a miracle to defeat me now."

"And that's what Skyscraper 2 is about: miracles. First, I bring back Elemental Hero Bladedge," I explained. Bladedge returned to the field.

"Is this a game of bowling? Are you setting your monsters back up so I can knock them down? Because I like the sound of that," the incubus said.

"No; my love for Lily will see me through this duel," I said.

"I grow tired of your insolence. Give up that crap about Lily and become a man," Inderfar said angrily.

"Not a man like _you_," I said bravely as I drew another card: my secondary Monster Reborn.

"Now that it's my turn again, I'll Special Summon _two_ of my monsters: Elemental Hero Wildheart and Cure Mermaid!" I said triumphantly. I activated Monster Reborn and the Cure Mermaid returned to the field, happy to be back, and Wildheart returned as well, ready for battle as always.

"Now that my monsters are back, here's another taste of Polymerization. I combine Bladedge and Wildheart and create the top melee warrior: Elemental Hero Wildedge!" I said. I activated the card, and the two heroes combined. In a flash, Wildheart grew in size and was wearing bits and pieces of Bladedge's armor (2600/2300).

"Is that supposed to scare me? Your Elemental Heroes pale in comparison to my Destiny Heroes. And it couldn't be truer than it is here, because it is my destiny to win this duel and send you back to Hell," Inderfar said.

"Some could say that it was my destiny to stay in hell as well, but I thought 'screw that', and came back to the Earth. I will not let Thatehos continue to destroy everything we have labored to build. Wildedge, destroy his monsters!" I commanded.

"Don't forget who's on the field," Inderfar said sneeringly and pointing at Dreadmaster.

"Who said I was going after Dreadmaster? I'm going after his three flunkies first. Plus Banner of Courage is still around, so Bladedge just gets stronger," I reminded him. Inderfar suddenly looked shocked. Bladedge's Attack Points rose to 3000, thanks to the Banner of Courage, and so he easily killed the Doom Lord, dropping the Dreadmaster's Attack Points to 3200, and when Captain Tenacious was dispatched, they dropped further to 2400, and when Diamond Dude was crushed, they plummeted back to 0. With the advantage, Bladedge easily destroyed the Dreadmaster. The combined effort made Inderfar's Life Points drop to _800_!

"I told you there was a first time for everything, and my love for Lily did see this through," I said as the Cure Mermaid increased my Life Points to 3,200. Upon hearing this, Inderfar let out a tremendous roar.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" he roared, and an explosion of arcane and evil energy engulfed him. Just in time, I shielded my eyes from it.

"Hey, no one likes a sore loser-" I began, but stopped when I saw what became of Inderfar Hrishikesh when the smoke cleared. He suddenly became even larger, possibly as large as the Dreadmaster I just destroyed. His muscles were truly massive, and his hooves were more like those of an oversized buffalo. Speaking of changes, his wings were now those of a dragon, and his horns resembled the tusks of a woolly mammoth. His teeth looked like those of a lion, and instead of the snake eyes he had earlier, they were now orbs of burning hellfire.

"You think you're so clever and superior with your little talks of love and friendship, but you are a weakling! Your powers are no match for me! I activate the Trap Card, Pyro Clock of Destiny and the Spell Card, Red Medicine! That gets rid of your Swords of Revealing Light and gives me 1000 more Life Points. And now, for my ultimate monster: I remove Airknight Parshath and Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster from play to summon…the legendary Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End!" Inderfar roared in a now truly demonic voice. The two monsters appeared briefly on the field, only to be consumed in pillars of light and darkness. In their place, a demonic dragon (3000/2500) appeared on the field, and let out a battle-ready roar of his own as its stats rose to 4000/3500 and Inderfar's Life Points increased to 1,800.

"Chaos Emperor Dragon, obliterate Elemental Hero Wildedge!" Inderfar commanded at the top of his lungs. The dragon unleashed a wave of hellfire similar to the one the Netherworld Dragon almost killed me with, and easily killed Wildedge. My Life Points dropped to 1,800.

"You're making the same mistake the Guardian made. You can try and put me down all you want, but nothing will stop my resolve to save Lily. That's why I activate one more Spell Card: Miracle Fusion. With this, I can remove two of my Elemental Heroes from play and combine them. Want to know who I'm combining? Flame Wingman and Sparkman to create…Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" I said. Just like with what Inderfar did, the two monsters appeared briefly, but in this case, they combined. They became a great winged warrior encased in shining armor (2500/2100). Just like when I activated the Angel's Mirror, Inderfar shielded his eyes from the light.

"He may seem weak now, but that's where his special ability comes in. For every Elemental Hero I have in the Graveyard, Shining Flare Wingman gains 300 extra Attack Points. And that's _without_ the Banner of Courage," I explained proudly. Inderfar now looked nervous. The Elemental Hero absorbed the powers of the departed, and his Attack Points increased to 5200. Inderfar was now positively terrified.

"Shining Flare Wingman, give the Chaos Emperor Dragon a taste of solar fire!" I said. Shining Flare Wingman flew toward the dragon and pointed both of his gauntlets at it. Then they shot two streams of solar fire and incinerated the Dragon, reducing Inderfar's Life Points to 200.

"And just like with Flame Wingman, when Shining Flare Wingman destroys a monster, you take damage equal to that monster's Attack Points. So, Shining Flare Wingman, give Inderfar another taste of solar fire!" I said triumphantly. The Elemental Hero repeated his attack, incinerating Inderfar intensely and sending his Life Points plummeting to 0.

"Lily, that was for you," I said. Suddenly, the Seal of Satan started to shrink around Inderfar, and the portal to hell opened up beneath his massive hooves.

"I will never forget this, Atlantean! I will come back and destroy you!" he shouted.

"Bon voyage," I said as the holograms disappeared and the traces of Inderfar's evil magic with them.

"Now that was a good duel," I said.

"Demetrios? Is that really you?" I heard a voice ask. I looked around, and saw Yugi, Tristan, and Téa.

"None other," I said. I really was home. But I couldn't forget my mission.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter XVI

Heroic Fire vs. Dark Ice

"So he lost his soul trying to avenge me?" I asked.

"That's a cold way of putting it, but yes," Tea explained.

"He put up a good fight, too," Tristan added. I went up to Joey's comatose body.

"Don't worry, Joey. You _will_ be avenged," I said to him. I then looked at Yugi.

"Yugi, I'm going to need the Eye of Timaeus," I told him. Everyone looked surprised.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because of this," I said, showing him the card Legend of Heart. He looked at it with interest.

"What does it do?" he asked.

"I'm not real sure myself, but looking at the picture, I'm sure it needs the Legendary Dragons to work. That's why I need Timaeus," I said. Yugi brought out his Deck and sorted through it reluctantly.

"I know it's difficult to part with, but it'll help us defeat Thatehos," I told him. Yugi handed me the card without a word. Just then, Tristan handed me the Claw of Helmos.

"Go on. I'm sure Joey would have wanted you to have it," he said. I took it.

"Thanks, everyone, but there's one more thing: I need the Fang of Critias," I said. Everyone looked surprised again.

"You're kidding me. You're actually going to ask Kaiba to give you one of his cards?" Tristan asked.

"If I have to duel him for it, so be it. I have to stop Thatehos," I said with determination. No one said anything. I got back on Moon Shadow.

"Seems we have to make another stop at Domino City," I said. I wanted to defeat Thatehos, but I was looking forward to going back to Domino; it was too long since I last saw any signs of civilization. I then wondered how those people I saw in that town in hell were doing. I hoped that they were all right and that they didn't get caught. Hopefully, someday, they'd get through the portal as well.

We reached the outskirts of the city, when suddenly, the air became colder. Granted, it was night, but it felt colder than usual.

"Do you feel that?" I asked. I was already getting used to the temperatures of the Earth, but I wasn't expecting this. Yugi gasped as he remembered.

"It's him again," he warned.

"Who?" I asked.

"The guy who ripped out Joey's soul," Tristan said.

"I'm glad you remember. Are you ready to sacrifice another one of yours?" a cold voice asked. In a spray of hoarfrost, Arctus appeared. I got off of Moon Shadow and prepared my Duel Disk.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Joey," I bravely declared.

"He said the same thing about you - and I defeated him easily," Arctus said as he prepared his own Duel Disk.

"History won't repeat itself," I said. "Let's duel," we said simultaneously.

"I will start - your demise, that is. I summon Ancient Gear Soldier in Attack Mode and I lay one card facedown," Arctus said. The robotic soldier (1300/1300) appeared on the field. I looked at my own hand that I drew: Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400), Megamorph, H-Heated Heart, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800), and Cyber Dragon (2100/1600).

"You're not the only one with powerful machines, Arctus. I summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode," I said. "Blow his Soldier away." The Cyber Dragon charged up and fired a stream of energy.

"That won't happen, because I activate Negate Attack," Arctus said. The dragon's attack made no dent.

"It is my turn again, and your demise comes ever closer. I sacrifice Ancient Gear Soldier for Ancient Gear Beast, and I activate the Seal of Orichalcos," he continued. The soldier disappeared and was replaced with a large robotic dog (2000/2000). When that happened, the Orichalcos Ring appeared above us and descended. Just like when he dueled Joey, when the Seal was completed and glowed, stalagmites of ice formed.

"You will be joining Wheeler soon, Knight of Atlantis," Arctus said as his eyes turned red and the Orichalcos mark appeared on his forehead. The same happened to the Ancient Gear Beast, and its Attack Points rose to 2500.

"Ancient Gear Beast, destroy Cyber Dragon," Arctus ordered. The dog mauled my Cyber Dragon, destroying it and reducing my Life Points to 7,600.

"Already written your victory speech, I see? You might want to revise it," I said as I drew a card. It was Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200).

"I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Attack Mode," I said. The aquatic warrior appeared, ready for battle.

"And since that was a successful Special Summon, I get to draw two more cards," I said, and did just that. The new cards were Bubble Shuffle and my second Cyber Dragon.

"And while I'm at it, I think I'll summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix and lay a card facedown," I said. The fiery heroine appeared on the field as well in Defense Mode.

"You're very brave, but just like with Joey, that's what will destroy you as well. Ancient Gear Beast, attack Bubbleman!" Arctus ordered. The mechanical beast charged again.

"That's what _you_ think. I activate Bubble Shuffle. Now both of our monsters switch to Defense Mode," I said. As I explained, both of our monsters became defensive.

"And now that it's my turn again, I can switch Bubbleman for a different Elemental Hero, and I think I'll choose Sparkman for the job," I said. Bubbleman disappeared from the field and Sparkman took his place.

"Now that he's here, I'll activate another Spell Card: H-Heated Heart," I said. Sparkman became energized and his Attack Points rose to 2100.

"Here's the best part: when an Elemental Hero whose charged up with Heated Heart attacks a Defense Position monster, the extra damage goes to you," I said. Sparkman threw an unstable ball of lightning at the Ancient Gear Beast, easily destroying it and reducing Arctus's Life Points to 7,900.

"It's too bad your theme is cold, because Burstinatrix is now going to warm you up," I said. Burstinatrix threw a large fireball at Arctus, reducing his Life Points further to 6,700.

"You cannot break my ice, Atlantean. I summon Cannon Soldier in Defense Mode and lay two facedown cards," he shot back. The machine (1400/1300) appeared on the field and got energized by the Orichalcos, increasing its Attack Points to 1900. I drew another card from my Deck, and saw that I got Mirror Gate.

"I lay a facedown card of my own," I said.

"This won't take long. I activate Polymerization, with which I can combine my Cannon Soldier with Giga-Tech Wolf, and thus create the Labyrinth Tank," Arctus said. The mechanical wolf (1200/1400) appeared, and then combined to make the tank (2400/2400). The Orichalcos symbol appeared on its windshield and its Attack Points increased to 2900.

"That brings back memories," Tristan said.

"Yeah," Yugi said, remembering when he and Joey successfully defeated the Paradox Brothers. The Labyrinth Tank was one of their monsters.

"Mow down his Burstinatrix," Arctus commanded. The tank rolled forward.

"You mean mow down _your_ Burstinatrix," I said with a clever smile.

"What are you talking about?" the shaman asked.

"Your attack activated my Trap Card: Mirror Gate. Our monsters now switch, and _you_ take the damage _I_ would have taken," I said. Suddenly, Burstinatrix and the Labyrinth Tank switched, and the heroine was still destroyed, but _Arctus_ took the damage: 1,700 points of it.

"Good move, Demetrios," Téa said. I smiled at them. I told you your sacrifice wouldn't be in vain, Joey, I thought. I drew another card, and saw that I got Pot of Greed.

"I activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed. Now I get two more cards to kick your butt with," I said. I activated the card and drew two more cards. The ones I got were Wroughtweiler (800/1200) and Salamandra.

"I summon Wroughtweiler in Defense Mode and I think I'll lay another facedown card," I said.

"That won't help you forever. Labyrinth Tank, destroy the Wroughtweiler," Arctus said. This time, the attack did go through, and Wroughtweiler was destroyed. Thankfully, I had him in Defense Mode. Burstinatrix shot back out of the Graveyard. I drew one more card, and got Polymerization.

"You're going to see a real treat, Arctus. I activate Polymerization, and with this I'll combine Burstinatrix with Sparkman and create…Elemental Hero Firestorm!" I said. The heroes combined, and the result was a beautiful woman wearing a tight red leotard that crackled with electrical energy (2300/1800).

"And here's my second Spell Card: Salamandra. Since Firestorm is a Fire Attribute Monster, she gains 700 more Attack Points, more than enough to take out your Labyrinth Tank," I explained further. Firestorm became engulfed in a fiery aura and her Attack Points increased to 3000.

"Firestorm, dismantle his Tank," I said. Firestorm jumped upward and launched a barrage of burning lightning bolts that easily destroyed the Labyrinth Tank, making Arctus's Life Points 4,900. Arctus still felt the heat from the attack.

"What is the meaning of this? Why am I burning?" he asked angrily.

"This may not be an RPG, but you just got hit with Firestorm's special ability: a damage-over-time effect. For the next five of your turns, you will feel the burn of her attack at the end of them. Since Labyrinth Tank was a Level 7 monster, you take 350 points of damage," I explained.

"You cannot stop me from completing Thatehos's mission. I activate the Spell Card, Spell Absorption, which will mitigate the damage of your Hero's ability. I summon Ancient Gear Knight in Attack Mode, and with it I activate the Spell Cards Ancient Gear Castle and Invigoration," Arctus explained. A robotic knight wielding a large lance-like sword (1800/500) appeared on the field, and behind him the Ancient Gear Forces' castle showed up as well. When the robot appeared, the Orichalcos Mark appeared on its helmet and its Attack Points grew to 2300. When Arctus's other cards activated, its stats soon became 3000/300. Arctus's Life Points rose to 5,900, and then fell to 5,550.

"Why? Their Attack Points are the same?" I asked.

"You will see soon enough," Arctus warned. I drew another card, and got Angel's Mirror.

"I'm going to show you one of the cards I beat Inderfar with. I activate the Spell Card Angel's Mirror," I said. Once again, the card shone brightly.

"What good will that do?" he asked.

"You'll see soon enough yourself," I said.

"I think not. I summon Ancient Gear in Attack Mode, and I activate the Trap Card, Shadow Spell," Arctus retorted. The small robot (100/800) appeared on the field, and then its Attack Points quickly rose to 900. Shortly thereafter, the shadowy chains appeared and tied up Firestorm. Her Attack Points dropped back to 2300.

"Ancient Gear Knight, destroy Firestorm once and for all," the shaman ordered. The knight easily killed Firestorm, reducing my Life Points to 6,900.

"Ancient Gear, attack his Life Points directly," he continued. The small robot wheeled forward and punched me with its small but nonetheless strong metal hands, reducing my life points further to 6,000. Arctus's own Life Points dropped to 5,200. I drew again, and got Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000).

"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode," I said.

"Defense Mode? I'm going on the offensive. I summon my second Ancient Gear, and since that was a Special Summon, I can do a Normal Summon as well: my Ancient Gear Golem," the shaman said. Another Ancient Gear appeared, and both small robots were replaced with the mechanical colossus (3000/3000). The Orichalcos mark appeared on its helmet, and its Attack Points rose to 3800.

"Ancient Gear Golem, obliterate the Clayman," Arctus commanded. The colossus lumbered forward and pummeled Clayman with his massive fist, destroying it easily.

"Oh, yes. Ancient Gear Golem has the same ability that your Sparkman had when you charged him up," the shaman explained. Indeed, my Life Points dropped to 4,200.

"Ancient Gear Knight, attack his Life Points directly," he continued, still as coldly as ever. The knight slashed me with its sword, reducing my Life Points further to 1,200! Arctus's own Life Points dropped to 4,850.

"No, we can't lose him, too, not again," Téa said with worry.

"Don't worry, Téa. The game's not over yet," I assured her. I drew one more card, and got Fifth Hope.

"All right, I activate the Spell Card, Fifth Hope. With this, I put all my Elemental Heroes back into my deck, and I can draw two more cards," I said. I shuffled my Deck, and drew the extra cards: Polymerization and…Monster Reborn.

"All right, I activate Monster Reborn and bring back my first Cyber Dragon," I said. I activated the spell and Cyber Dragon returned.

"Now I'll activate Polymerization and turn this and my two other dragons into Cyber End Dragon!" I declared. The other two dragons appeared, and all three combined to make the ultimate machine (4000/2800).

"That's not the only Spell Card I'll be activating. I activate Megamorph, and since my Life Points are lower than yours, my Dragon's Attack Points double." The Cyber End Dragon received a surge of power, and its Attack Points rose to 8000.

"Cyber End Dragon, destroy the Ancient Gear Knight with Super Strident Blaze! For Joey!" I shouted. All three heads fired intense streams of energy at the Ancient Gear Knight, obliterating it and sending Arctus's Life Points crashing to 0.

"That was for you, Joey, and Lily," I said.

"This is an outrage! None have survived my machines!" Arctus said, his voice now filled with shock rather than coldness.

"That's what they _all_ said," I said as the Orichalcos Ring shrunk around Arctus.

"Thatehos will triumph!" the shaman said before his soul was ripped out of his body.

"Not while I draw breath," I said. I went up to Tristan and put my hand on Joey's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Joey. When this is all over, you'll be able to live again," I assured him. And we'll be together again, my love, I thought, my thoughts returning to Lily. I got back on Moon Shadow.

"All right, let's continue on to Domino," I said. Everyone was impressed by my victory.

"Demetrios?" Téa said.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," she said. I nodded my assent, and we continued back to the city.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter XVII

Clash of the Knights

We rested up for the night and got back to Domino the next morning. Without a doubt, that was the best night of sleep I had in a long time. I didn't have any dreams (though Lily was never far from my mind), and when I woke up, I never felt so refreshed before. I couldn't have been more proud; I would need that energy to defeat Thatehos. But first things first; I needed to duel Kaiba.

We made our way to the main Kaiba Corp building, and Tristan laid Joey's comatose body on a nearby bench. I made my way in and saw a young woman at the reception desk.

"Uh, sir, we have a dress code," she said while blushing. I looked down and saw my bare chest and torso. Just then I remembered losing my shirt during the many fights I had in hell; I must have gotten so used to walking around shirtless that I no longer noticed. Yugi, Téa, and Tristan sweat-dropped, and I blushed fiercely. Thankfully, I remembered what I came for.

"Yes, I'm here to see Seto Kaiba," I said.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Kaiba is very busy," she answered.

"Screw that; I need to see him," I said a bit more aggressively than I intended.

"Is there a problem?" we heard a voice say. We recognized it right away: it was Seto Kaiba speaking. He looked as calm and collected as ever, but he nonetheless sensed something. I walked right up to him. His expression didn't change.

"You're just the guy I wanted to see," I said.

"What for?" he asked, clearly uninterested in my presence there.

"I have an offer you might not want to refuse," I said.

"Try me," he said.

"I challenge you to a duel. Whoever wins gets the Fang of Critias," I said as calmly but enticingly as I could. Upon hearing this, Seto laughed haughtily.

"Duel you? Why should I?" he said. My determination did not waver.

"If I don't, then my girlfriend is doomed, along with this whole planet," I explained.

"Yugi, are you starting a cult following or something?" Seto asked.

"I'm telling the truth. You know about that knight you dueled? He works for the guy who I'm looking for," I added. He remembered who I was talking about.

"You know about that?" he asked.

"Yes. I know who that guy was working for, and only I can stop him. Who's to say that he won't try to kidnap Mokuba again? That's why I need the Fang of Critias," I said, trying to reason with him.

"That does make some sense, I suppose. That doesn't mean I'll just _give_ you my card, though. You'll have your duel, then," he said.

"Thank you. That's just what I wanted to hear," I said. Seto walked away while I prepared my Deck.

"That was kind of easy," Tristan said.

"Maybe, but I need that card. Lily does too, and so does Joey," I said.

"Do you think you'll win?" Téa asked.

"I hope so. Thankfully, Kaiba doesn't have one of those Seal cards. It'll be nice to have a fair duel for a change," I answered.

"Good luck," Yugi added. I nodded my thanks.

Some time later, Seto and I were preparing to duel in an arena that Mokuba reserved for this fight at Kaiba Land.

"Let's duel!" we said simultaneously as our Life Points set at 8,000.

"I'll start us off, by summoning Kaiser Seahorse in Attack Mode," Seto declared. The aquatic warrior (1700/1650) appeared on the field.

"He's getting the Blue-Eyes White Dragon out already?" Yugi asked.

"Not if I can help it," I said as I looked at my hand. I saw that I drew Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800), Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200), Cyber Dragon (2100/1600), Polymerization and Edge Hammer.

"You're not the only one with good luck, Seto. I activate Polymerization, and turn Elemental Heroes Burstinatrix and Bubbleman into Elemental Hero Steam Healer," I said. I activated the card, and the two superheroes combined into a heavily armored warrior with a pair of tanks connected to his back (1800/1000).

"You see, the steam a humidifier makes can make a cold heal faster, and that's what Steam Healer does. Too much steam, however, can be quite painful, which is what he'll do to you," I said. The Hero shot two streams of intensely hot steam at Kaiser Seahorse, burning the creature and reducing Seto's Life Points to 7,900.

"And that's not all that happens when Steam Healer attacks. When your Life Points go down, mine go up by the Attack Points of the destroyed monster," I explained, and my Life Points increased to 9,700. "I think I'll lay a card facedown and that'll be the end of it."

"Now that was clever," Tristan said.

"It'll take Seto longer to get the Blue-Eyes White Dragon now," Yugi added.

"Those extra Life Points won't be around much longer, Demetrios, because I activate Monster Reborn, and I think I'll resurrect Kaiser Seahorse," Seto said, and the monster came back to life.

"So much for that idea," I said.

"Don't worry; he won't be around much longer either, because I sacrifice him to bring out my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he said triumphantly. The aquatic warrior disappeared and was replaced with the white dragon (3000/2500).

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Elemental Hero Steam Healer with White Lightning!" Seto commanded. The dragon shot a great stream of lightning at my Hero, easily destroying him and cutting my Life Points down to 8,500.

"Told you," he said.

"We'll see what my next turn holds," I said as I drew my next card. Luckily, it was Pot of Greed.

"I activate Pot of Greed, and now I get two more cards," I said. The new ones were Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) and Elemental Hero Necroshade (1600/1800).

"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode," I said. Now that Seto got his signature card out, defending was all I could do.

"Don't worry. This duel will be over before you know it. I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, and he's going to lend me a hand," he explained, and a monster with many hands (1400/1000) appeared on the field next to the Blue-Eyes. He then got a card out of his Deck, thanks to his monster's effect.

"I activate the Ritual Spell Card, White Dragon Ritual. With this, I sacrifice my Manju to summon Paladin of White Dragon," he continued. Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands was engulfed in a column of light, and a knight wielding a lance and riding a white drake (1900/1200) appeared in its place.

"Blue-Eyes, show Demetrios another display of white lightning!" Seto shouted. The dragon fired its lightning again, and Clayman was easily disintegrated.

"Paladin, attack his Life Points directly!" The knight flew toward me and stabbed me with his lance, making my Life Points 6,600.

"This isn't going too well," Téa said.

"Tell me about it," I replied as I drew a card. I got Swords of Revealing Light.

"Time for a little postponement. I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" I said. The shining blades descended from the sky, stopping Seto from making any more attacks.

"Buying yourself some time, eh?" he asked.

"It'll be worth it," I said.

"I beg to differ. Because your light show may stop me from attacking, but it won't stop me from summoning. I sacrifice Paladin of White Dragon to bring out my second Blue-Eyes!" he said. The knight and his reptilian mount were replaced with another white dragon.

"Good thing Demetrios has those swords around, or he'd really be in trouble," Téa said.

"Don't worry. Thanks to the Pharaoh, I was able to defeat Kaiba even when he got me in tight jams," Yugi assured her.

"Yeah, but Demetrios doesn't have Exodia," Tristan pointed out.

"No, but I have some cards that are just as good," I said as I drew. I got Axe of Despair.

"I lay one more card facedown," I said.

"Is that all?" Seto asked.

"For now," I answered.

"Demetrios, are you crazy? When the Swords disappear, you'll be wide open," Tristan warned.

"Don't worry, I got it covered," I assured him.

"I summon Lord of Dragons in Defense Mode and I lay a facedown card of my own," Seto said. Hmm, just one more card and I can defeat him, he thought.

Come on, good card, I said as I drew again. I got E-Emergency Call.

"I activate E-Emergency Call. With this, I can bring one of my Hero cards back to my hand," I said. I activated the card and brought back Clayman.

"Just what did you hope to accomplish with this waiting game? Now that your swords have vanished, you're defenseless," Seto said. Indeed, the swords started to fade.

"And now that they're gone, I can activate a couple of spell cards of my own. First I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon," he began. A dragon-shaped horn appeared, and the Lord of Dragons took hold of it and blew into it.

"I think you know who I'll summon with it," he said as the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared.

"And here's my second Spell Card. I activate Polymerization, and with this, I combine all three of my dragons to create…the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Seto said triumphantly. Suddenly, all three dragons combined and became the ultra-powerful behemoth (4500/3800).

"Oh geez," I said.

"Ultimate Dragon, attack his Life Points directly!" Seto commanded. All three heads fired intense streams of lightning at me!

"Demetrios!" Yugi and company almost shouted simultaneously. Thankfully, my Life Points only fell to 2,100.

"Just one more attack and you're done. Want to continue?" Seto asked smugly.

"Yes," I said determinedly. I drew one more time, and got Graceful Charity.

"Just what I was looking for. I activate Graceful Charity. With this, I can discard two cards and get three more," I said. I did just that, and the new cards were my other two Cyber Dragons and Polymerization.

"I have a three-headed monster of my own, Seto. I activate my own Polymerization, and with this I summon the Cyber End Dragon," I said. I activated the card, and just like with Seto, a powerful machine appeared on my side of the field as well (4000/2800). He laughed a little.

"Your monster is weaker than mine. What do you hope to accomplish?"

"That's what you think. I activate the Spell Card Axe of Despair, which will give my Dragon a much-needed boost," I said. I activated it, and it increased the Cyber End Dragon's Attack Points to 5000.

"Cyber End Dragon, show him who the top three-headed monster is! Super Strident Blaze!" I ordered. The three heads fired energy.

"That's what you think. I activate the Trap Card Negate Attack," Seto countered. And counter he did, for my attack was rendered null.

"And now that it's my turn again, here's another Trap Card: Shadow Spell," he said. The shadowy chains encircled the Cyber End Dragon, reducing its Attack Points to 4300.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, how about we make Demetrios eat those words of his?" he said. The dragon fired energy again, destroying it and making my Life Points 1,900.

"Demetrios, hang in there," Yugi assured me.

"Don't worry, I have one more trick," I said as I drew again. I got Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800).

"And here it is. Since Necroshade is in the Graveyard, I get to summon Elemental Hero Bladedge without any sacrificing," I said. With that, the metal warrior appeared.

"Now that he's here, I'm going to activate one of my facedown cards: Edge Hammer. I'm going to destroy your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with very little effort," I said. A large hammer appeared in Bladedge's hands and he charged toward the Ultimate Dragon. Suddenly, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon turned back into the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!

"Huh? What?" I asked, more confused than ever.

"Your Edge Hammer may be powerful, but it has a drawback. I activated De-Fusion, so Bladedge's target wasn't there anymore," Seto explained.

"This is going to hurt," I said, since I sacrificed Bladedge to make the Edge Hammer work.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, end this duel!" Seto declared victoriously. The dragon fired some more of its white lightning at me, and I was defeated.

"Lily, Joey, I'm sorry," I whispered. Yugi and company were about to approach me and offer sympathy, but Seto beat them to it. But it wasn't sympathy he was offering. Without a word, he gave me…the Fang of Critias?

"What? But you won," I asked, greatly confused.

"Yes, but you dueled fairly. You didn't use any fancy-shmancy card that turned your monsters into demons," he explained. I knew Seto Kaiba was one of the best duelists in the world, but I didn't know he had a philosophical side as well.

"Wow, thanks," I said, taking the card. He simply nodded, and walked away.

"Did I just see that?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, Kaiba actually helped out the guy he defeated," Téa said.

"Lily, I'm coming," I said, and ran out of the arena.

"Demetrios, wait up!" Yugi said, and the others followed suit. Now I could defeat Thatehos.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter XVIII

The Corrupted Forest

Now that I had all three Legendary Dragons, I could surely defeat Thatehos. However, curious as I was to find out what Legend of Heart did, something told me I would have to save it for my duel with Thatehos. This wasn't a card I could use on just anybody. Soon, this would all be over, and we could live in peace.

After a long walk, we finally arrived at the forest surrounding Mt. Fuji. However, we were incredibly shocked at what we saw. We heard about something happening to the forest on the news, but we weren't prepared for what we saw in person. Most of the trees were turned black with decay, while others collapsed. A vile miasma rose into the air from certain plants, and there were fungi everywhere. Some of the mushrooms looked familiar; others did not. Chilling, unfamiliar sounds filled the night air.

"Yuck. What happened here?" Téa asked.

"Thatehos probably had something to do with it," I said as I drew my sword. Moon Shadow cautiously proceeded forward.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Yugi asked cautiously.

"Just be careful," I answered. "And keep an eye on Joey." Yugi and company followed suite, keeping an eye out for anything unusual.

As we walked, the forest continued to look unfamiliar. It was like stepping onto an alien planet. The smell of the decay was terrible, but we had to continue onward. The monastery was sure to be here. Suddenly, Moon Shadow started to rear and neigh fearfully as the ground started to shake somewhat.

"Moon Shadow, what is it?" I asked, trying to reassure him, but just as soon as I finished asking, the ground to the right of him exploded and a terrible creature emerged from it! It looked like an earthworm, but it was the size of a python, and its normally pink body was turned a sickly dark green and covered in spikes! It tried to attack my horse, but he kicked it away just in time. It rose up and tried to go after me! I held it off with my free hand, but the slime coating it burned painfully, and a long serrated tongue started shooting out of its mouth! Just then, I heard the Pharaoh say "I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard!" The elven warrior appeared and decapitated the mutant worm. The warrior disappeared as quickly as he arrived.

"Thanks, Yug," I said. He nodded in agreement.

"What was that, though?" Tristan asked. The worm was just as nasty dead as it was alive.

"From the looks of it, a mutant," I said.

"So Thatehos messed up the animals as well as the forest?" Téa asked.

"Yes. His evil magic must be powerful indeed to cause all this," the Pharaoh answered.

"Then we'd best get going before the whole world ends up looking like this," I said. We continued, but did not get far. We were ambushed by more mutants! I thought they were dragonflies…once. Their mandibles and legs looked like sharp blades, their eyes glowed red with evil intent, and their wings looked more like those of demons. A swarm of them descended on us and tried to cut us to pieces! The Pharaoh summoned a couple more warriors (the Obnoxious Celtic Guard and Silent Swordsman LV3), who helped me cut up the dragonflies before they could kill us. The Pharaoh's warriors disappeared, and we continued our trek.

As we walked through the forest, we saw something very disturbing. In the canopy, there were people hanging from thorny vines. From the looks of where their hands were, it looked like they were trying to fight off the vines and free themselves, but it was too late for them. To add to the gruesome sight, a mutated crow was picking pieces of flesh off of one of the bodies. The bird was much larger than usual, its feathers looked sharp, its wings were like a dragon's, and its beak looked like serrated blades. It stopped feeding and looked at us with evil intent in its red eyes. Oddly, it didn't swoop down to attack us, but instead flew in circles above us. I then saw why it was doing that: feathers started to fall off of its body, and they hit the ground with the force of thrown daggers!

"Take cover!" I said. Everyone did so, but I didn't.

"D, what are you doing?" Tristan asked.

"I have an idea," I said. I climbed up one of the trees, cutting at any of the vines that tried to grab me. I carefully shimmied across one of the branches. When the corrupted crow came close enough, I cut at it with my sword. Unfortunately, the feathers turned out to be very hard. The bird stopped flying and landed on the branch, ready to fight. Just then, I heard another sound, coming from behind me and somewhat gross. I looked behind me, and crawling on the branch was a very messed up animal. It looked like a squirrel, but its teeth, front legs, and tail were replaced with the mandibles, claws and tail of a scorpion! It made its unsettling noise again and swished its claws and tail around threateningly. Thinking quickly, I kicked the mutant squirrel away and stabbed the crow through the neck. Suddenly, the branch broke and I fell to the ground. It was painful, but I was all right.

"Are you okay?" Téa asked.

"Never better," I said, trying to remain optimistic, but I nevertheless rubbed my back.

"Whatever Thatehos did, it really messed up the place," the Pharaoh observed.

"No kidding. Let's move out," I said, and we continued.

All around us were terrible-looking fungi, obviously having a feast, since there were dead and dying plants everywhere. As we walked, I heard something rustling amongst the rotting bushes.

"Wait. There might be something coming," I said as I raised my sword again. The Pharaoh prepared his Duel Disk as well. Suddenly, a large group of giant ants emerged from the undergrowth! Thankfully, they were nowhere near as large as the giant fire ants I fought in Hell, but they were the size of greyhounds. In addition, their mandibles looked like scimitars and their bodies were covered in sharp spines! Just as quickly, more of the scorpion/squirrels descended from the trees, as if to aid the ants!

"Get ready!" I said as Moon Shadow reared and neighed. The Pharaoh once again summoned his warriors, and they easily cut the mutants. Moon Shadow trampled over any that came too close, and I leaned down and slashed any he missed. Tristan and Téa punched and kicked away any of the mutant assailants. Just when we thought we were winning, another swarm of mutants descended on us. They looked like very large lizards, about the size of hares, but they had horns like those of a dragon. One of them jumped up on me and tried to bite my neck! I threw it down onto the ground, where Moon Shadow proceeded to trample it. The Pharaoh, Tristan, and Téa did the same, while the former's monsters also killed them.

"What were those things?" Tristan asked.

"I don't want to stick around to find out," I said as I got Moon Shadow into a canter.

We walked for a short while more, and then, finally, we saw the crumbling roof of the monastery.

"Ah, at last," I said. Seeing my destiny in sight, and my chance to rescue Lily, I got Moon Shadow galloping toward the monastery.

"D, wait!" the Pharaoh warned. But it was too late. I heard a very terrifying howl, and some growls from in the air. Suddenly, a pack of…undead wolves emerged, their rotting flesh hardly hanging onto their bones, their dead eyes glowing with malice. From above, a flock of giant bats swooped down, the size of eagles and just as fierce. Once again, the Pharaoh's monsters and I fought off these attackers. Moon Shadow's hooves easily shattered the wolves' skeletal bodies. As we were fighting, some more creatures emerged! They looked like deer, but they were hopping around on their hind legs. They looked emaciated, their retracted lips and cheeks revealed sharp teeth, and - perhaps most disturbingly - their front hooves became rudimentary hands. They joined the mutants and attacked us. One of them was about to bite Moon Shadow's neck, but I stabbed it through the chest just in time. Moon Shadow himself kicked away another mutant. But then one of the undead wolves ferociously bit Moon Shadow's rear legs, eliciting a pained and frightened neigh from him! I quickly dismounted and stabbed the wolf through the skull. Another one of them was about to attack Joey's comatose body, but the Silent Warrior sliced it in half. In only a matter of minutes, we were surrounded by the bodies of the mutants that Thatehos's evil created.

"Are you okay, Moon Shadow?" I asked as I looked into his eyes. The pained grunting confirmed that he wasn't. The bite was deep.

"I don't think he'll be able to run for a while. We should try to stop the bleeding at least," Tea said, and ripped off one of her sleeves to make a makeshift bandage.

"Let's get out of here before more of them showed up," I said, leading my friends. It was painful to watch Moon Shadow only walk with a limp, but he had to be careful until he got better. We were soon at the threshold of the monastery.

"We made it," Tristan said tiredly.

"Don't give up now. We still have to defeat Thatehos," I said. I dismounted and walked up to the doors.

"I cannot allow you to go any further," said a voice. Suddenly, in a flash of red light, a cultist was standing in front of me. He was about half a head shorter than me and wearing a pitch black robe, with the hood obscuring his face.

"I didn't come all this way to be stopped by you," I said.

"Many duelists have faced me. None have survived," he retorted.

"Is that a challenge?" I asked, reaching for my Duel Disk.

"Hmm, I've never met one so willing to face me in combat. It'll almost be a shame to defeat such a worthy opponent," he said as he prepared his own - a Dark one, no doubt.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, D?" Tea asked.

"If this is the way to Thatehos, so be it," I answered. My mysterious opponent and I looked at each other with steely determination, each one willing to defeat the other.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter XIX

A Dark Secret

Neither of us said anything as our Life Points set to 8,000. I made it this far; I wasn't going to give up now. But at the same time…something felt rather familiar about this opponent, as if I met him before. But where?

"I will go first," said the cultist as he drew a card. "I summon Nubian Guard in Defense Mode." A skeletal warrior wearing the armor of an Egyptian soldier (500/500) appeared on the field, ready to defend his master. I looked at my own hand, and saw that I had Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800), Unshaven Angler (1500/1600), H-Heated Heart, Hero Barrier, and…the Eye of Timaeus.

"I lay one card facedown, and then I'll summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in Attack Mode, and I activate the Spell Card H-Heated Heart, which gives my heroine 500 more Attack Points," I said. Burstinatrix started to glow with fire as her Attack Points rose to 1700.

"And here's the best part: when a monster with this ability attacks a Defense Mode monster, the extra damage goes to you," I explained further. "Burstinatrix, show him what you're made of!" She jumped into the air and threw a large fireball at the Nubian Guard, causing an explosion that shook the cultist's hood off as his Life Points dropped to 6,800. When he recomposed himself…I couldn't believe what I saw.

"No…it can't be…" I said.

"What is it?" Téa asked.

"It's…my brother…Samuel…" I said, almost on the verge of tears.

"You're kidding!" Tristan said, almost dropping Joey. Samuel cleared the smoke around his face, allowing us to see it clearly.

"Yes, it is me. I am the strongest of the Inner Circle of the Esoteric Order of the Dark Sunrise," he said very coolly.

"But why? Why would you join this cult? Don't you know what Thatehos is capable of? Please tell me you were brainwashed," I said, hoping that was true.

"I most certainly wasn't. I was merely captured on the night our family was killed, and I agreed to serve Thatehos," he said, almost proudly. Hearing that was like a dagger in my heart.

"How could you betray us? Serve the man who killed our family, and sent me to hell?" I asked, a couple of tears running down my face.

"It is because I am tired of living in your shadow. You were one of the best duelists in the world. You had almost everything - money, power, women. I was mediocre at best. But thanks to Thatehos, I have become much more. Now _I_ am the champion," he explained with no emotion in his voice. That made his explanation more painful.

"You would destroy the world just to one-up me?" I asked.

"Yes, and here is my opportunity. I summon Kaiser Seahorse," he said, and the sea serpent warrior (1700/1650) appeared on the field.

"And now I activate the Spell Card, the Seal of Satan," he said coolly, without the drama of the other users. A ferocious lion made of evil energy appeared next to the sea warrior, and roared just as fiercely as it looked. Except for Samuel, all four of us covered our ears as the roar was that loud. Even Burstinatrix did so. After the lion roared, the beast sank into the ground and turned into the red ring that surrounded us. The pentagram appeared and when completed, the symbol glowed brightly, containing both of us.

"And now, let the transformations commence!" Samuel declared. Suddenly, he grew to seven feet in height. His black cultist's robe became a royal cape, and the rest of his body became encased in black steel armor. A medieval war crown appeared on his head, completing the image. He certainly was a champion, and had the crown to prove it. But he was only a champion of evil.

"I'm not the only one who changes. My Kaiser Seahorse becomes Tyrant Seahorse!" he continued. The monster's normally blue and violet scales turned an eerie black and red. In addition, its stats rose to 2700/2650.

"Tyrant Seahorse, eviscerate Burstinatrix!" he shouted. The demon charged towards Burstinatrix and ferociously impaled her with its lance, killing her and reducing my Life Points to 7,000. Something about me froze.

"D, what's the matter?" Téa asked.

"I…can't do it…he's my brother," I said. Yes, he became a monster, but a part of me still loved him. He was the only family member I had left.

"Demetrios, listen to me. He may be your brother, but he has committed unspeakable crimes. He's keeping you from rescuing Lily," the Pharaoh told me. What he said was true. I then remembered Lily, trapped in a statuesque form, unable to escape or even think. I had no choice, then.

"Samuel, you may be my brother, but I _will_ defeat you and rescue Lily," I declared bravely, and drew a card. I drew Pot of Greed.

"I activate Pot of Greed, and with it, I can draw two more cards," I said. My new cards were Mirror Force and Suijin (2500/2400).

"I summon Unshaven Angler in Attack Mode and lay a card facedown," I said. The fish and the facedown Trap Card appeared on the field.

"You always were a reckless duelist. But soon you will be back in Hell. I summon Flame Ruler, or should I say, _Hellfire_ Ruler," Samuel shouted. A pyromancer (1500/1600) appeared on the field, and then spikes grew all over his body and his face became crazed as his hands ignited, which reflected his stats increasing to 2500/2600. "Bathe him in hellfire!"

"Not so fast! I activate Mirror Force!" I said. The Trap Card unveiled itself, and both of Samuel's monsters died.

"That's not all I'm doing. I sacrifice Unshaven Angler to summon Suijin," I said. The fish disappeared in a spray of water and was replaced with the water golem.

"Suijin, attack his Life Points directly!" I shouted. The golem shot an intense stream of water at Samuel, reducing his Life Points to 4,300!

"All right! He's winning!" Tristan said.

"Not for long. I lay three cards facedown and activate the Spell Card Polymerization. With this, I combine Tainted Wisdom and Ancient Brain into…the Skull Knight!" Samuel shot back. Three facedown cards appeared on the field. In addition, the bone armor-wearing knight (2650/2250) appeared on the field, and then its stats rose to 3650/3250!

"Skull Knight, attack!"

"I activate Suijin's special ability!" I said.

"That's what _you_ think. I activate the Spell Card, Mirage Spell," Samuel said cleverly.

"What does that do?" I asked.

"It activates when your monster triggers its special ability. The ability is rendered moot and I gain 2,000 Life Points," he continued. The Skull Knight kept all of its Attack Points and Samuel's Life Points increased to 6,300.

"That's not good," I said.

"That's right. It's not good - for you," Samuel continued. The Knight's sword tore Suijin apart, reducing my Life Points to 5,950.

"My, how the tables have turned," my brother said confidently.

"They will again," I said as I drew another card. I drew Hero Kid (300/600).

"I summon Hero Kid in Defense Mode, and with him I can call out my other two," I said. All three Hero Kids appeared on the fields, crossing their arms defensively.

"Have you forgotten the old adage? 'Never send a boy to do a man's work'. And it's just as true in this duel as it is anywhere else. I activate my other two facedown cards: both of them Monster Reborn. I bring back both Tyrant Seahorse and Hellfire Ruler, and with them one more: the Trojan Horse, or should I say, the Netherworld Horse," Samuel said. Both of his destroyed monsters returned to the field, and a living version of the legendary Trojan Horse (1600/1200) joined them. Suddenly, its wooden body turned black and its normally lifeless eyes turned red while its stats increased to 2600/2200.

"Tyrant Seahorse, Hellfire Lord, Netherworld Horse, destroy his kids!" Samuel declared. All three of his monsters attacked my Hero Kids, sending them to the Graveyard outright. Thankfully, they were in Defense Mode.

"Skull Knight, attack his Life Points directly!" he continued. The Skull Knight ripped into me with his sword, and my Life Points fell to 2,200! Desperate now, I drew another card, and saw that I got Swords of Revealing Light.

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light," I said, and the luminous blades fell from the sky, pinning Samuel's monsters where they were.

"I was told that you do this a lot. It won't save you this time," Samuel said confidently.

"Maybe not, but it will definitely help," I said.

"I can still summon at least. I summon my own Unshaven Angler, which will soon become the Proto-Leviathan," Samuel said, summoning the monster. It turned into a hideous-looking sea serpent of sorts, and its stats increased to 2500/2600.

"What does he plan on doing with all those tickets to easier summoning?" Téa wondered.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," the Pharaoh agreed.

Come on, Heart of the Cards, I said as I drew again. I got Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200).

"I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Defense Mode!" I said. The aquatic warrior appeared on the field, ready to fight.

"And since he was a Special Summon, and I have no cards left, I can draw two more," I said. I did so, and got Gagagigo (1850/1000) and Petit Moth (300/200). Nuts, they couldn't help. But maybe the next card I drew could be Graceful Charity…

"You only have two turns left, dear brother. I hope it's something good, because if it isn't, when these swords disappear, you die. But for now, I sacrifice Tyrant Seahorse for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch - make that the King of Dark Lightning!" Samuel said. The mutant was replaced with a warrior king wearing white or silver armor and had a funny-looking green afro (2400/1000). However, his armor turned black and his face became that of a demon, plus his stats increased to 3400/2000.

"That can't be good," I said.

"Oh yes it is, because it means victory - for me," Samuel retorted.

"Let's hope the next card I draw is good," I said as I drew again. It was…Graceful Charity!

"All right! I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity. With this, I can send two cards to the Graveyard and draw three more," I said. I got rid of Gagagigo and Petit Moth, and drew Polymerization, Elemental Hero Avian (1000/1000) and O-Oversoul.

"Looks like that's not the only Spell Card I'll be activating. The second one will be O-Oversoul, with which I can bring back Elemental Hero Burstinatrix. And now for my third trick, with Polymerization, I can turn Avian and Burstinatrix into…Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer!" I declared. Avian and Burstinatrix combined into a very unique superhero. He looked like Avian, only bulked up, having the legs and tail of a dragon, and wearing black and red armor (2100/1200).

"So what? He doesn't look so special," Samuel said.

"He's the ultimate defense. He can't be destroyed by battle," I said.

"Every defense has a weakness, and I will find yours now that your Swords have expired," Samuel shot back. True to what he said, the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared.

"I sacrifice the Hellfire Ruler for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. Oh wait, I mean the _King_ of Hellfire," he said. A burning creature that looked more like a knight than a monarch (2400/1000) appeared on the field. Just like with his electrical comrade, he started to transform, but this transformation was disturbing. The armor started to split open and unveil burning flesh. The helmet burned away and revealed a demonic face engulfed in flames. His stats matched those of his comrade.

"King of Hellfire, incinerate Bubbleman!" Samuel ordered. The demon raised his hands in the air, and a barrage of meteorites fell from the sky, burning Bubbleman alive. It was a good thing I put him in Defense Mode, considering what my Life Points were.

I can't keep this up forever, though. I'm going to have to fight back, I thought as I drew again.

"Is this the best you can do? Give it up, brother. Lily is lost to you, as is your world," Samuel said.

"Don't listen to him!" Téa said.

"Don't give up, Demetrios. You still have a Deck," the Pharaoh said. "You can defeat him."

He's right. I can't give up, not now, I thought as I saw what I drew. I got Skyscraper.

"I told you the tables would turn again, Samuel. I activate the Spell Card, Skyscraper. With this, my Elemental Heroes get a little boost when they attack," I said. I stuck the card in the slot for Field Spell Cards, and soon we were surrounded by the city.

"That's not enough, brother. Honestly, I don't know how you became such a famous duelist," Samuel snobbishly said. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. There was one more thing I needed.

"I offer 500 Life Points to activate Ultimate Offering, and thus I can sacrifice both Proto-Leviathan and the Netherworld Horse to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch and Granmarg the Rock Monarch. Or as I like to call them, King of the Frozen Underworld and King of Brimstone," he continued. Both monsters were replaced with the Monarchs of their respective elements, and they transformed as well. Mobius, a warrior king wearing icy blue armor, suddenly started to rot. The armor rusted and fell apart in certain places, showing his rotting flesh. Granmarg looked like a living statue with massive arms. Suddenly, his body became that of magma, and his face became demonic. Both of their Attack and Defense Points increased by 1,000.

"You're lucky you have Phoenix Enforcer out, or you would be back in Hell right now," Samuel taunted.

"I have more than luck," I said as I drew again. I got Angel's Mirror.

"I activate the Spell Card, Angel's Mirror. With this, Skyscraper is a lot more powerful now," I explained. The card appeared, and just like the last couple of times, it glowed brightly with heavenly faith. Unlike the previous times, though, Samuel did not shield his eyes.

"Phoenix Enforcer, destroy the Skull Knight!" I ordered. The Elemental Hero flew upwards and was soon engulfed in fire in the shape of a bird of prey. As he did, thanks to Skyscraper and the Angel's Mirror, his Attack Points rose to 4100! He dived fiercely toward the Skull Knight, setting him ablaze and easily destroying him. Samuel's Life Points dropped to 5,850. It wasn't much but it was a start.

"Just a lucky break," my brother said.

"Don't start that again," I said.

"Here's another thing I'll start. I lay three cards facedown and end my turn," he said. I was very confused about this. Why would he just lay down three cards? I drew one more card, and got Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000).

"I think I'll lay a facedown of my own," I said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, D?" Tristan asked.

"Trust me; I know what I'm doing," I said.

"Do you?" Samuel said as he drew a card. He smiled as he saw it. "King of the Frozen Underworld, destroy the facedown!" Samuel ordered. Despite the blizzard of black ice that rained upon him, Clayman remained resolute and died with dignity.

"Don't get too comfortable with Phoenix Enforcer; I _will_ find a way to destroy him," my brother warned.

"I've heard that before," I said.

"This time, I speak the truth. I activate the Spell Card, Raigeki. There's more than one way to destroy a monster," he answered. A massive lightning bolt descended from the sky, destroying the Phoenix Enforcer. Strangely, he did not attack with his monsters.

"What are you doing? You can win," I asked.

"Uh, D, I don't think it's a good idea to ask him that," Tristan warned.

"I know, but it would be lacking in honor. But don't get any ideas; I _will_ defeat you," Samuel said. Somehow, I liked that answer. That means there was a still a piece of my brother in there, somewhere.

"Why do you cultists always think you can predict the future?" I asked as I drew again. I looked at the new card, and it was…Miracle Fusion. That's perfect!

"I activate the Spell Card, Miracle Fusion! I remove Avian, Bubbleman, Burstinatrix, and Clayman from play to create…Elemental Hero Electrum!" I said. In a blaze of light, all four heroes combined, and in their place stood a great warrior wearing gold and silver armor (2900/2600).

"Wow, look at that," Tristan observed.

"I knew he could do it," the Pharaoh added.

"And here's the best part: your monsters may be demons, but there's still a part of their original selves in there, so my Electrum gets extra Attack Points for the Attributes that match his, and your monsters have all four," I said. Electrum started to glow with golden energy, and his Attack Points rose to 4100.

"Electrum, destroy the King of the Frozen Netherworld!" I said bravely. Electrum flew forward and obliterated the icy demon with a single bone-shattering punch. Samuel's Life Points fell to 5,150. Unfortunately, Electrum's Attack Points also decreased to 3800.

"That was for Clayman," I said.

"Inderfar may have fallen to your Elemental Heroes, but his fate won't be my own," Samuel said confidently as he switched his remaining monsters to Defense Mode.

"I remember who you used to be, dear brother. You were nowhere near as arrogant as Inderfar, and you had a good heart. Hopefully this duel will bring it back," I said as I drew again: Hero Barrier.

"I lay one card facedown and end my turn," I said. The secret card appeared on the field next to Timaeus.

"Is that all? Well I lay _two_ cards facedown, and that will be all for now," Samuel said ominously.

"What do you think he plans to do?" the Pharaoh asked.

"There's only one way to find out," I said as I drew again. Come on, Heart of the Cards, I thought to myself, and drew again. It was…Cure Mermaid. All right!

"All right, I summon an old friend of mine, one of my favorites, actually: Cure Mermaid. With her, I can have no fear of death," I said. Thankfully, it wasn't just a one-time thing: the Cure Mermaid still looked exactly like Lily.

"Cure Mermaid, show him what you can do," I said. Her gloved hands started to glow red, and my Life Points increased to 3,000.

"You make this too easy. King of Hellfire, incinerate his girlfriend," Samuel ordered. The infernal king unleashed a colossal ball of hellfire at my Mermaid.

"That's what _you_ think. Hero Barrier, activate!" I said. An energy shield surrounded both of my monsters, completely neutralizing my adversary's attack.

"Talk about sibling rivalry. They keep trying to one-up each other," Tristan said.

"I hope Demetrios can win this soon," Téa said.

"Me too," the Pharaoh added.

"My move," I said, drawing again. I got a good one: Double Coston (1700/1650).

"I lay one card facedown, and I think I'll have my Electrum get rid of that torch boy of yours," I said. Double Coston stealthily appeared on the field, and Electrum pummeled the King of Hellfire into oblivion. Samuel's Life Points decreased to 4,750, but so did Electrum's: they were now 3500. One more attack like that and my summoning him would have been a Pyrrhic victory. Fortunately, thanks to Cure Mermaid, my Life Points increased to 3,800. Silently, Samuel drew a card and smiled as he saw what it was.

"I didn't think I'd have to use _this_," he said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, starting to feel a little nervous.

"I now unveil three of my facedown cards," he said triumphantly, and they revealed themselves: Bad Reaction to Simochi, Begone, Knave! and By Order of the Emperor.

"What? If you have those good Trap Cards, why didn't you use them?" I asked. Tristan made a nervous sound, since I asked another potentially suicidal question.

"I was saving them, for this: I sacrifice all three cards to summon Uria, Lord of Searing Flames!" my brother said, again triumphantly, and all three Trap Cards disappeared. In their place, a great red dragon (0/0) appeared above the field. His long snakelike body was as red as fire, and his jaws were just as fearsome.

"What? I thought that card was only a rumor!" I said in shock.

"Isn't that the Saint Dragon of Osiris?" Téa asked.

"No; it's something else. It's different, and evil," the Pharaoh explained.

"The Sacred Beasts are as real as you and I. But you might want to bask in his presence while you can. Because he's going to be replaced with something even more terrible," Samuel said triumphantly. Just as he said, Uria started to transform. His body turned dark blue, the hottest kind of fire, and cracks began appearing in certain parts of it! Blue flames emerged from these ruptures, and Uria roared ever more fiercely.

"Allow me to introduce to you Fthaggua, Lord of Unholy Fire!" Samuel shouted. I was speechless at this transformation.

"Allow me to show you his special ability. For every Continuous Trap in the Graveyard, he gains 1,000 Attack Points, plus an additional thousand from the Seal of Satan," he continued. Suddenly, his Attack Points rose to 4000! Fortunately, although I don't know how fortunate, Electrum's Attack Points increased back to 3800.

"Let's put an end to your healing. Fthaggua, destroy the Cure Mermaid!" Samuel shouted. Fthaggua roared, and unleashed a colossal stream of hellfire from his two sets of jaws. The Cure Mermaid…I couldn't stand to watch.

"What's the matter? Was that out of line?" Samuel asked tauntingly.

"Yes it was, and you'll pay for it!" I said as I drew again. I got my secondary Pot of Greed.

"I activate Pot of Greed again, and get two more cards," I said. The new cards were Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) and…The Claw of Helmos.

"I sacrifice Double Coston to summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and I will also summon the Claw of Helmos!" I said. The two dark apparitions disappeared and were replaced with the black dragon, and the Legendary Dragon appeared next to it.

"Hey Joey, check it out, D's using your boy," Tristan said proudly. He knew Joey couldn't hear him, but knew that wherever Joey's soul was, he could sense it.

"Helmos, combine with Red-Eyes and become the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword!" I said. Just like Joey's duel with Maledict, the two dragons combined and became a superb sword. Electrum took hold of it and his Attack Points rose to 5800, thanks to Angel's Mirror. Perfect.

"Electrum, destroy Fthaggua!" I said. Sword in hand, Electrum jumped very high and slashed Fthaggua's ravaged throat, easily destroying the demonic dragon and reducing Samuel's Life Points to 2,950.

"Fantastic!" Téa said with relief.

"Oh he'll be back, you can be certain of that," Samuel said confidently.

"Not if I can help it," I said as I drew again. I got my own Kaiser Seahorse.

"I lay another card facedown and end my turn," I said, hoping this would buy me some time.

"You're lucky I don't have the other Sacred Beast cards in my hand…yet. I'll just summon Archfiend Soldier in Defense Mode and end my turn as well," my brother said. A demonic soldier (1900/1500, and then 2900/2500) appeared on the field in a defensive position next to the two remaining corrupted Monarchs. Come on, Heart of the Cards, I thought. I drew again, and got…my tertiary Pot of Greed. This was as good a time as any to use it, I thought again.

"I activate Pot of Greed one last time. I draw two more cards," I said, and did just that. The new ones were Sanga of the Thunder (2600/2200) and Monster Reborn.

"I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse to summon Sanga of the Thunder and I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Suijin," I said. Two of the golems appeared on the field. Hopefully I could buy myself some time to get Kazejin. Samuel drew a card as well, and smiled again.

"What is it now?"

"Why, another Trap Card. And a Continuous one, I might add. So guess who I'm bringing back," Samuel said as he simply discarded it to the Graveyard. Uria reemerged above the field, and then quickly turned back into Fthaggua. Only this time, his Attack Points rose to 5000.

"Fthaggua, destroy Suijin again!" my brother commanded.

"I activate his special ability!" I said. It activated just in time, and Fthaggua's Life Points became 0. But…he wasn't destroyed!

"What? But how?" I asked.

"The Sacred Beasts can't be destroyed by such mundane monsters. And you'll need the luck of a god to get all three Legendary Dragons out," my brother explained with a sinister sneer, even though his Life Points still dropped to 450.

He may be right. I hope I do have that kind of luck, I said as I drew again. It was Whirlwind Prodigy (1500/1600).

"I lay another card facedown and end my turn," I said, hoping he wouldn't attack it. Samuel drew as well.

"Well these cards I _will_ show," he said, and unveiled two of the facedown cards he laid down earlier: 7 and The Allied Forces.

"I shall now send all three of these cards to the Graveyard and summon Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder," he continued. The Spell Cards disappeared, and another terrifying dragon (4000/4000) appeared. It looked like a dragon's golden skeleton given Hadean life.

"And with the Seal of Satan around, I now introduce you to Summanus, Lord of Dark Thunder!" my brother said. The bones making up the dragon's body suddenly turned into black steel, and he exuded an unholy aura. In addition, its stats increased to 5000/5000.

"You're just lucky you have those defenses of yours, but soon that will all change," Samuel said.

"I hope not," I whispered as I drew again. I got…Kazejin (2400/2200)!

"I have a moment of truth of my own, dear brother. I sacrifice Whirlwind Prodigy to summon Kazejin. And now, I'll combine Kazejin, Suijin, and Sanga of the Thunder to create the Gate Guardian!" I said. All three golems combined together, making one of the most powerful Warrior-Type monsters in the game (3750/3400).

"That doesn't matter to me," Samuel said indifferently as he drew another card.

"You aren't the only one with Pot of Greed, dear brother, for I activate one of my own," he said. He drew the two extra cards - and smiled his sinister smile when he saw them.

"I now sacrifice all three of my remaining monsters to summon my last of the Sacred Beasts: Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!" he said triumphantly. All three of his last non-Sacred Beast monsters disappeared, and were replaced with a colossal demon (4000/4000). The only thing that changed about him was that his stats increased to match those of Summanus.

"Samuel's out of control!" Téa said.

"Do you think D can beat them?" Tristan asked.

"He has to, for Lily's sake," the Pharaoh said.

"And now, I shall activate a Spell Cards: De-Spell. So kiss your Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword goodbye," my brother said sadistically. The weapon disappeared, much to the dismay of Electrum.

"Raviel, destroy Elemental Hero Electrum!" he ordered. Using his enormous claws, Raviel tore apart Electrum as if he were no more than a rag doll, destroying my best Elemental Hero and reducing my Life Points to 2,600. I drew one more time, and got Mask of Darkness (900/400).

"I lay a card facedown and end my turn," I said.

"I'm not falling for that again. I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago. Fthaggua, destroy that facedown!" my brother commanded. Fthaggua unleashed another ferocious stream of hellfire, easily destroying the Mask. Thankfully, its effect still worked: I got Mirror Force back. I drew one more time, and got the Fang of Critias.

"Samuel, you may be my brother, but you cannot stop me from defeating Thatehos and rescuing Lily. I summon the Fang of Critias and combine him with Mirror Force to create the Mirror Force Dragon!" I declared. The Legendary Dragon appeared on the field and combined with the Trap Card, becoming a dragon with black metallic scales and wings of reflective glass (2800/2500).

"So what? You still can't beat me," my brother said.

"That's not all I'm doing. Last but not least, I summon the Eye of Timaeus!" I said, and the green dragon appeared alongside its comrade.

"Timaeus, combine with the Gate Guardian and become…the Elemental Dragon!" I declared. The two monsters combined and became…probably the most powerful combination I've ever seen. It was a shining golden dragon that exuded a burning aura, was surrounded by a vortex of wind, had eyes as blue as an ocean, and its wings were as black as night. Its stats were 4000/3500.

"Do you really think you can defeat me with your misfits?" Samuel said.

"Yes. Want to know what my Elemental Dragon's special ability is? His Attack Points increase by 500 for _every_ monster on the field that has the Attribute that he's made up of: fire, wind, water, light and darkness. So guess what that adds up to," I said with renewed confidence. The Elemental Dragon roared with vigor as its Attack Points rose by 2,000, for a grand total of 6000.

"You will never defeat Lord Thatehos, brother. Summanus, attack the Mirror Force Dragon!" Samuel shouted.

"Bad move. Don't forget the Trap Card that helped create that dragon," I said. Samuel realized his mistake too late. Before Summanus's dark lightning could strike, the Mirror Force Dragon spread his wings and the lightning safely reflected off of it…and killed all three of the Sacred Beasts in one fell swoop. Samuel looked around in shock as all three legendary demons fell around him.

"This cannot be!" he shouted in disbelief.

"That was for Helmos! And now, Elemental Dragon, attack his Life Points directly and put an end to my brother's insanity!" I shouted. Once again, the Elemental Dragon roared with vigor, and breathed an intense stream of the five elements that created him: fire, wind, water, light and darkness. All five engulfed Samuel and utterly destroyed him, sending his Life Points plummeting to 0.

"I'm sorry, Samuel," I whispered. Just then, the Seal of Satan shrank around him, and the portal to hell opened beneath.

"I will be back," he said dignifiedly, and disappeared into the infernal abyss.

"Great job, D," Tristan said.

"I'm glad that's over with," Téa said. However, their compliments didn't lift my spirits. Instead, I fell to the ground and looked at my hands as if they had blood on them.

"What have I done? What have I done?" I said.

"What are you talking about? Now nothing can stop you from fighting Thatehos and saving Lily," Tristan said.

"I know, but…I sent my own brother, my last remaining kin, to hell, a terrible place that I struggled so hard to get out of," I said, starting to cry. What if my family saw me doing this? What if Lily did? Téa placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"It's all right, D. You said so yourself; your brother still has some good in him. And you escaped from hell; perhaps he will as well," she said, giving a gentle smile. My tears stopped and I wiped them away.

"I hope you're right. I can't forget why I came here. I hope against hope that Lily's all right," I said, looking into the entrance to the monastery. I came up to Moon Shadow.

"Moon Shadow, our lives are on the line, and I may not return. So, try to be brave," I said. He placed his head on my shoulder as I hugged his neck. I walked away.

"Oh, and if any mutants show up, give it a good kick," I said with a confident smile. He nodded bravely.

Thatehos, your reign of terror is coming to an end, I thought with determination as I slowly walked towards it. The Pharaoh, Téa, and Tristan followed. Within the monastery lay my destiny: Thatehos, and my ladylove, Lily.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter XX

Into the Monastery

All of Thatehos's cultists now lay dead. He was defenseless, and I had all three Legendary Dragons. Soon, I thought as we walked into the monastery, this will all be over. I couldn't wait for it to be. I wanted to be with Lily.

As soon as we walked into the remains of the courtyard, we had to shield our eyes, as something very shiny was reflecting the moonlight. After a minute, we saw what was causing it. Statues. Dozens of them. They filled the entire courtyard, and they were all made of some kind of gemstone. Undoubtedly, this was Dijumia's handiwork.

"Look at all of them," I said in grim awe.

"Is this what happened to Lily?" the Pharaoh asked. I simply nodded, that memory still painful.

"Maybe when we defeat Thatehos, they'll be returned to normal," Tristan said.

"Let's hope so. Let's hope so," I said. Oddly, though, I couldn't see Lily amongst any of the statues. Hoping she might have been somewhere inside, we proceeded. Even though the statues all looked different and were made from different gemstones, they did have one thing in common. They all wore expressions of fear and pain, no doubt caused by Dijumia's petrifying gaze. Téa knelt down and sympathetically patted a lapis lazuli statue of what was once a golden retriever. Tristan saw something that made him jump.

"Hey guys, I found Pegasus!" he shouted.

"What are you talking about? Isn't he dead?" I asked confusedly.

"I wouldn't quite put it that way," he said as we came to his side, and sure enough, there was Maximillion Pegasus. Caligula was only messing with us, then, but Pegasus was nevertheless a prisoner. The gargoyle turned him into a tiger's eye sculpture.

"And look over there! It's Bakura!" Téa added, and we went to the statue she indicated. Unlike the others, this one wore a rather aggressive look on his amethyst face. He held his left arm at an odd angle, as if he was reaching for something around his neck.

"He doesn't look too happy," I noted.

"How did he end up here? Didn't he get into Battle City?" Tristan asked.

"And where's the Millennium Ring?" Téa added.

"Don't forget, though: Bakura may be a strong duelist, but the Seal of Satan was probably too powerful for him," the Pharaoh guessed.

"I know that feeling," I said. The courtyard was very cold, and not in terms of temperature. It was filled with a sad unlife. But at the same time, I was filled with resolve. When I defeat Thatehos, no one else would have to suffer these fates he and his cult inflicted on us, on all of us.

"I don't believe it. Marik's here too," Tristan pointed out as he looked around. This guy I heard of. Yugi dueled him in the Battle City finals, and from what I heard, it was a very intense duel. The topaz statue Marik was turned into also suggested a fierce confrontation - with Dijumia. His arms were raised as if to punch off his reptilian attacker. There were also gashes around his eyes; Dijumia must have forced Marik's eyes open.

"I don't want to know what happened here," I said.

"Me neither," Tristan added.

"Guys…" we heard Téa say nervously.

"What is it, Téa?" the Pharaoh asked, and then joined her shock. Tristan and I turned around, and I dropped my sword upon seeing what it was. It was…a dragon. And it wasn't any of the Dragon-Type monsters in the game. This was a real honest-to-God dragon, turned into solid diamond. It looked nothing like the Netherworld Dragons I encountered in Hell. It did tower over us, but it was only 17 feet long and 10 feet tall; it was probably a young one. Had the creature been alive, the roar from its fanged mouth would have been quite fearsome. The same held true for its now motionless whiplike tail. Its wings were spread almost to maximum wingspan.

"You're kidding me. Dijumia actually petrified a dragon?" I asked, still in shock upon seeing it.

"I was about to say the same thing," Tristan agreed.

"It was a good thing you stopped him in time, Yugi. I would have ended up in here," Téa said, remembering when the reptile tried to petrify her.

"Let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps," Tristan said. Before doing that, however, he laid Joey's comatose body on a stone bench.

"Don't worry, Joey. When this is all over, you'll be up and about again," I assured him. We left the courtyard, and entered the living quarters. There were 12 rooms, six on each side of the hall. Téa made a grossed out sound when looking in one of them.

"Do yourself a favor; don't look in this room," she said. I turned around, and the brief glimpse I got was enough. The walls were covered with dried blood. It must have been Maledict's room.

"I think I know whose room this is," the Pharaoh said as he looked in another. I looked into it as well, and saw all the walls covered in paradoxes. They were covered with pictures of me, some of them very flattering, the others mutilated.

"Melissa," I said, remembering how she acted during my duel with her.

"Man, I've heard of anti-intellectualism, but this is ridiculous," Téa said as she looked in another room. I followed her, and was shocked at what I saw. On the wall opposite the bed were posters of Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Socrates, and Albert Einstein. The posters were full of arrows, and near the foot of the bed was a bow.

"Inderfar must have lived here," I said. "Now let's move on; we don't have time for this tour," I said. We continued down the hall, and came upon great wooden doors. I could sense something very powerful on the other side. Thatehos. His great dark powers.

"Well, well, well. We meet again, Prince of Atlantis," said a sinister reptilian voice. We looked up, and in the rafters was Dijumia, laying there like a cat, his wings folded in and his tail wrapped around one of the beams. With the utmost fury, I drew my sword.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Lily!" I said. Dijumia laughed, and hung from the beam like a monkey.

"You can't save that girl. Thatehos killed you once, and he can do so again," he said, still chuckling and extending his snakelike tongue. I motioned everyone back.

"But I returned from hell. I _will_ rescue Lily, and stop your master. I _will_ avenge Atlantis," I said bravely. This just made Dijumia laugh harder.

"I still remember how you squirmed when the Curse of Dark Genocide corrupted your body. I doubt you're capable of killing _me_, let alone the most powerful sorcerer on Earth," he said, coming down from the ceiling and pacing towards me like a tiger on the prowl. I did not move, my sword still up and my look still determined.

"D, please be careful," Téa said.

"I will be," I assured her.

"Let's see how tough you are without your friends around," the gargoyle said, and suddenly, the doors slammed shut, cutting me off from the outside world completely! While I was stunned by this, Dijumia quickly raked his sharp claws against me. I raised my sword and charged toward the reptilian gargoyle, but he turned around incredibly quickly and lashed out his tail, whipping me right across the stomach. I faltered and grabbed it, hoping it would ease the pain. It was then I felt something cool on my hands. I looked at them, and saw blood.

"And you thought you could defeat me," Dijumia said with a sadistic, snakelike chuckle.

"I'm not done yet!" I said, getting a hold of my sword again and jumping toward him. Dijumia simply rolled out of the way and slashed up my back with his claws. Ignoring the pain, I turned around and hit him across the face with my sword, leaving a long slash along his jaws.

"You just got lucky that time, Atlantean," he said and tripped me with his tail. He was about to bite me with his enormous fangs, but I flipped over and kicked him hard in the chest. He staggered back a few steps as I got back up. I was about to attack again, but as I charged, he spread his wings and took flight.

"I'm going to finish what the vines in the forest failed to accomplish!" Dijumia said, rather angrily this time, and lashed out his tail again. I dodged it a couple of times, but the gargoyle quickly flew over me and managed to wrap it around my neck! Then he lifted me into the air, and laughed more sinisterly as I tried to break out of it.

"Any last words?" he asked. "Oh wait; you can't speak." He just laughed again. I was starting to lose consciousness, but summoning what strength I could, I reached my sword arm up and cut off his tail in one quick swipe. Dijumia roared in pain as I fell to the ground and I could breathe again. I took in enormous breaths, but the gargoyle joined me on the ground, a furious look in his large eyes.

"You will pay for that, Atlantean bastard!" he said, and flew toward me. Before I could react, he bit hard on my left shoulder. I dropped my sword, as the pain was almost paralyzing! Seeing this, Dijumia stopped and picked up my weapon.

"My, how the tables have turned," he said. I couldn't believe it. He was holding _my_ sword, and despite his wiry monkeylike frame, he was wielding it like it was an extension of his arm! Without a moment's hesitation, he took another swipe at me, and made a slash across the one I had from his tail. I cried out in pain and fell to my knees. I tried to get up, but he slashed again across my chest, knocking me to the ground. When I tried again, he stepped on my chest - hard enough so that his claws sank in a bit - and immediately thrust my sword toward my neck! I quickly grabbed the blade and stopped it just in time.

"Stop struggling and die, Atlantean!" the gargoyle said, pushing it toward me despite all the might I was using to push it back.

"You can't stop me from rescuing Lily!" I said bravely, and pushed it back hard enough to make the pommel hit Dijumia square in the face. Using this brief moment, I pulled my sword out of his hands and took hold of it again. He came to just as quickly, and as he looked at me he hissed ferociously. He lunged to bite me again, but I punched him away, and as he fell to the ground, I quickly and expertly cut his head off. Dijumia's severed head gave off one last hiss, and then his cursed eyes closed for the last time. I fell to the ground and panted, using my sword to hold me up.

"What do you think is going on in there?" Tristan asked.

"Victory, I hope," the Pharaoh said.

"Let's hope so," Téa said. I got up and looked at the doors. On the other side stood my destiny. I tried to open the other doors that separated me from my friends, but they wouldn't even move a centimeter.

"Great, they're still closed. It looks like I'm on my own," I said. I silently walked up to the doors and pulled one of them open. Soon, I would defeat Thatehos and rescue Lily. Then, it will be over, our world will be safe once more and Atlantis will be avenged.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter XXI

End of the Unnatural Night

My heart stopped as I pulled on the door. But I quickly reminded myself of what must be done. I walked into the room…and was horrified by what I saw. There was a large black marble statue of Satan in the back of the room, designed in some sort of evil imitation of the Statue of Zeus. In his right hand, he held his trademark trident, and in his left, a medieval glass bottle that glowed with unearthly light. I shuddered to think what was in it. In front of the statue was an unholy altar, stained with blood and decorated with images of all manner of demons. To the right of the altar was the worst sight. It was Lily, still trapped in her statuesque prison. It was hard to hold back the tears from seeing her like that, but I had to remain strong.

"Ah, the last prince of Atlantis," said a voice, and a figure emerged from the darkness. It was none other than Thatehos himself. His remaining eye was pure red; the other was sealed shut by a scar. He was the tallest old man I ever saw: seven feet in height. He held a pure gold staff in his right hand, topped by a dragon's head holding a ruby orb in its jaws. His black robe bore a blood red pentagram on the chest. His lined face wore an incredibly dour look.

"We meet at last, murderer," I said. "You're going to pay for what you did to Lily, and my family, especially Samuel."

"Brave words, warrior. But you cannot save her. I have seen my victory, and Lord Satan shall conquer this pathetic planet," Thatehos said triumphantly.

"Not while I draw breath," I said with just as much determination.

"I destroyed you once, and I can do so again," the priest said as he equipped a Dark Duel Disk to his left arm.

"This time, it will be different," I said as I equipped my own. Our Life Points set at 8,000.

"None that have seen my cards have lived to tell about them. I summon Serpent Man in Attack Mode," Thatehos said. A snake-like creature as tall as a man, sporting muscular arms and wearing battle armor (1800/1500) appeared on the field, ready to fight. Thatehos was right about one thing: I've never seen that card before. I looked at my hand, and saw that I drew Cyber Dragon (2100/1600), Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800), Hero Barrier, Guardian Grarl (2500/1000), and H-Heated Heart.

"That won't stop me. I summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode, and I equip it with H - Heated Heart," I said. The robotic dragon appeared on the field, and its Attack Points rose to 2600.

"Cyber Dragon, destroy his monster!" I ordered. The machine fired an intense stream of power at the Serpent Man, destroying him and reducing Thatehos's Life Points to 7,200.

"A fleeting victory at best. I activate two Spell Cards: Monster Reborn and Necronomicon," Thatehos said. A card displaying a terrifying-looking spellbook appeared on the field as the Serpent Man reappeared.

"What does that do?" I asked.

"It allows me to summon Yig, the Father of Serpents without a sacrifice," the priest explained. An enormous anthropoid being emerged, his skin resembling that of a dinosaur's, with a snakelike tail in his backside, his head like that of a cobra, and red and black feathers decorating it (2300/2100).

"And as the Father of Serpents, Yig gains 300 Attack Points for every Serpent Man on the field with him," he explained further. True to what he said, Yig's Attack Points increased to 2600.

"And here's another spell that the Necronomicon can cast. I can increase the Attack Points of a monster by 700, and I'll cast this spell to make Yig stronger." The Necronomicon card glowed, and Yig roared and hissed fiercely as his Attack Points increased further to 3300!

"Father of Serpents, destroy the Cyber Dragon!" Thatehos commanded. Yig charged and tore apart the Cyber Dragon, destroying it and reducing my Life Points to 6,800.

"Serpent Man, attack his Life Points directly!" he said again, this time with sadistic glee. The creature's sword cut through me, reducing my Life Points further to 5,000!

This can't be. The duel just started and he already has some of his strongest monsters out. There must be a way to destroy them, I said as I drew again. The card I got was Mirror Force. Just what I needed!

"I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in Attack Mode, and I lay one card facedown," I said as the superheroine appeared on the field.

"Is that all you can do? No wonder my curse killed you so easily. To be honest, I've been wanting to use it on you, and your escape from Hell ruined my victory," he explained, first strangely glad at remembering using it, and then bitter again when he mentioned the second part.

"Well you _won't_ cast it again," I said.

"After my monsters are done destroying you, you'll wish I did. I summon another Serpent Man, and thus make Yig stronger," Thatehos said. Another such creature appeared on the field next to its master, and Yig's Attack Points increased again to 3600.

"Yig, destroy that puny wench!" Thatehos ordered.

"Not so fast! I activate Mirror Force!" I said quickly. The Trap Card unveiled itself, and all three of Thatehos's monsters were instantly destroyed.

"I'm glad those freaks are gone. Burstinatrix, attack his Life Points directly!" I said. She jumped into the air and threw an enormous fireball at Thatehos, burning him and reducing his Life Points to 6,000.

"You haven't won yet, and you never will either. I summon a Deep One in Attack Mode, and I activate the Seal of Satan," he declared. All the torches in the room erupted as the Spell Card was activated. No animal spirit appeared, though. This time, the evil energies making up the Seal flowed from Thatehos's very being. The ring formed around us, and the pentagram filled in, completing the Seal. Hopefully, this would be the last time I ever see it. As it completed, a hideous creature appeared on the field. It was hunched over like a gorilla, and had a large chest and arms like one, but it was covered in grayish-green fish scales, except for its white chest and stomach. Its face was like that of a barracuda redesigned to human proportions, complete with large lidless eyes, and spines ran along the center of its back. The gills on its neck continuously opened and closed. Its stats read only 1700/1000 for a short time, as they quickly became 2700/2000.

"Deep One, destroy Burstinatrix!" Thatehos ordered. The fish thing ran toward Burstinatrix on all four of its webbed hands and feet, and bit her fiercely, destroying her and making my Life Points 3,500!

"You cannot stop me. When a Deep One inflicts any kind of damage to you, I can summon another one," Thatehos explained. Just as he said that, another Deep One appeared.

"Now that they're here, I'll activate the Spell Card, Polymerization. I combine my two Deep Ones to make their queen: Mother Hydra, Queen of Y'ha-nthlei!" he continued. The two sea creatures combined and became a truly horrible monster. It was enormous, towering over the both of us, and was terrible to behold. Her skin was like a human's, but rotting in many places. Her face was indescribably ugly, and a proboscis emerged from a hole that I could only assume was a mouth. Her stats were 2200/2400, and quickly became 3200/3400.

"Mother Hydra, attack his Life Points directly!" Thatehos commanded. The sea creature took only two strides and struck me with her enormous claws, sending my Life Points plummeting to 300! I was already one attack away from defeat!

"How does it feel, Atlantean? You came all this way to save your beloved, but you have found only darkness. Your death awaits," Thatehos said with dark triumph in his voice.

"I'm not done yet!" I said as I got back to my knees and drew again. Thatehos remained unmoved by my bravery. I got…Pot of Greed.

"I place a card facedown and I activate Pot of Greed, with which I can draw two more cards," I said as I activated it. The extra cards I drew were Elemental Hero Necroshade (1600/1800) and Graceful Charity.

"Well, it seems like I get three more cards. I activate Graceful Charity," I said confidently, happy that my luck was turning around. The new cards I drew were Angel's Mirror, Skyscraper, and Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800).

"I activate two more Spell Cards: Angel's Mirror and Skyscraper," I said. The room seemed to disappear as the skyscrapers appeared. Once again, the Angel's Mirror card shone brightly as it appeared. However, Thatehos retained his grim demeanor.

"And guess what? Since one of the cards I sent to the Graveyard was Elemental Hero Necroshade, I can summon Elemental Hero Bladedge without a sacrifice," I said. The golden armored warrior appeared on the field, ready for battle.

"Bladedge, take out Mother Hydra!" I said confidently. Thanks to the new setting, Bladedge's Attack Points skyrocketed to 4600. He rushed and powerfully punched Mother Hydra, destroying her and reducing Thatehos's Life Points to 4,600. I just hope I could get my Life Points back up, though. Who knows what else he'd attack me with?

"You're a fool to think you can defeat me. I summon my third Deep One, and he'll destroy your Bladedge," Thatehos declared. A third fish man appeared, and he leapt toward Bladedge, ready to bite.

"That's what you think. I activate the Trap Card, Hero Barrier," I said. An energy shield appeared around Bladedge, stopping the Deep One's attack. Now that it was my turn again, I drew and got my second Pot of Greed.

"What do you know? I activate Pot of Greed again," I said, and drew two more cards. I got Nutrient Z and Elemental Recharge.

"I activate Elemental Recharge, which would normally give me 1,000 Life Points per Elemental Hero, but thanks to Angel's Mirror, I now get 2,000," I said. Indeed, my Life Points increased to 2,300.

"Bladedge, destroy that Deep One," I continued. Empowered by Skyscraper once again, Bladedge powerfully punched the Deep One, reducing Thatehos's Life Points further to 2,700. All right, I was going to defeat him after all!

"Now what were you saying about destroying me again?" I asked confidently.

"Your death is still sealed. I'm going to summon one of the most powerful of my monsters. I summon Cthulhu, the High Priest of Darkness!" Thatehos roared. Suddenly, the field became covered in water, which started to bubble and boil violently. Then, enormous whiplike tentacles emerged slowly and menacingly. What emerged next was probably more horrifying than Mother Hydra. If it weren't for my determination to carry out my mission, I'd have probably gone insane just by looking at this nightmarish creature. It was probably even taller than Mother Hydra, and a lot uglier. Its body looked like that of a man, but its skin was a disgusting shade of green. I saw were the tentacles were coming from. The creature's head was like an octopus, its writhing tentacles obscuring its mouth. That was probably a good thing; I didn't want to see what was in it. Great dragonlike wings emerged from the creature's back, completing its otherworldly appearance. Its stats were 3000/2500, but they quickly shot up to 4000/3500.

"Look upon Dread Cthulhu and tremble, for he has foreseen your destruction and the rise of my master! And he'll start with your puny monsters. Cthulhu, obliterate Bladedge!" Thatehos commanded. Cthulhu was suddenly energized by the Necronomicon, and its Attack Points rose to 4700. The monster's tentacles shot forth and ensnared Bladedge. They started pulling on his armor-clad body to rip him apart. I couldn't bear to watch. Cthulhu completed his killing, and my Life Points went down to 200! Great, I was back where I started. I caught a glimpse of the statue Lily was turned into, and hoped she could forgive me.

"You cannot stand against the coming Darkness," Thatehos said. I drew again, and got…

"I activate the Swords of Revealing Light!" I said. The shining blades fell from the sky and covered Thatehos's side of the field. Hopefully I could get some time.

"You can put as much faith in light as you can, but the darkness always prevails," Thatehos warned. "I activate my secondary Monster Reborn, and bring back one of my Deep Ones." One of the fish creatures appeared on the field, but thanks to my spell, he couldn't attack. I drew a card as well, and got E - Emergency Call.

"I activate the Spell Card, E - Emergency Call. With this, I can add an Elemental Hero to my hand," I said. I flipped through my Deck, and got Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400). I would save him for later.

"I summon Father Dagon, King of Y'ha-nthlei," Thatehos said. Next to the Deep One, a creature appeared. It was nowhere near as ugly as Mother Hydra, but nonetheless terrifying. It was nearly as tall as Cthulhu, and looked like an oversized Deep One, but its arms were long like those of an orangutan, and its head looked more reptilian. It had Attack and Defense Points of 2500 and 2100 respectively, but thanks to the Seal of Satan, they rose to 3500/3100.

"As the main ruler of the Deep Ones, Dagon gains 200 Attack Points for every Deep One on the field with him," Thatehos explained. True to what he said, Dagon's Attack Points rose to an additional 3700. I hoped I could destroy him soon. I drew again, and got R - Righteous Justice.

"I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in Defense Mode, and I activate R - Righteous Justice. With this, I can close the Necronomicon - permanently," I said. Sparkman appeared on the field, crossing his arms defensively, and just as he did, the Necronomicon card disappeared. Thatehos looked especially angry at this turn of events.

"You will pay for that, Atlantean. I may not be able to attack you, but I can still do this. I activate a Spell Card of my own, Shadow over Innsmouth. With this, I can sacrifice my Deep One and give Father Dagon a very special ability: he can attack your Life Points directly!" he declared. The Deep One disappeared, and Father Dagon roared as his newfound power started to activate.

"Dagon, destroy the Atlantean scum and end this duel once and for all!" Thatehos roared. Father Dagon charged toward me and unleashed another mighty roar. He ferociously swiped me with his claws, reducing my Life Points to 0…or so Thatehos thought. The priest looked surprised when I got back up, which did not match his complexion.

"What's this? It cannot be! How are you still alive?" he said.

"Thanks to a little friend I like to call Nutrient Z. So now I just have 700 Life Points left," I explained confidently as the Trap Card disappeared.

"You may have been lucky this time, but it won't happen again," Thatehos said.

"Yeah - for you," I said as I drew again, and got O - Oversoul.

"I activate O - Oversoul, with which I'll bring back an old friend: Burstinatrix," I said. Burstinatrix returned to the field, ready for battle once more.

"You can't keep stalling like this, Atlantean. Because once this turn ends, I will destroy you. And I'll start by activating just a couple more Spell Cards. I'll start with Cost Down. By sending one card to the Graveyard, I can turn Nyarlathotep, the Grand Duke of Chaos into a Level 7 monster," Thatehos began. I was suddenly worried.

"Which means…" I began.

"Which means I can now summon him with only one Tribute. I activate the second Spell Card in my plan: Ritual of the Crawling Chaos. With this ritual, I can exchange Father Dagon for Nyarlathotep, and once your swords expire, you're doomed," the priest continued. A terrible darkness fell over the field, and Father Dagon was whisked away. In his place appeared another monster. It looked like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, but his skin was pitch black, and instead of the symbols of the Egyptian gods, he wore terrible indescribable ones. He looked at me with the utmost contempt. As usual, his stats of 3200/2900 quickly rose to 4200/3900.

"I still have a Deck in my hand," I said bravely, and drew one more time. It was…my third and final Pot of Greed.

"I activate Pot of Greed one more time," I said, and once again drew two more cards. I got…Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) and HERO Flash!

"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode, and I activate the Spell Card, HERO Flash!" I said. The stone warrior appeared on the field next to his fellow Elemental Heroes.

"What good will that do you, Atlantean?" Thatehos asked.

"That's easy: first, I'll remove the following cards from play: H - Heated Heart, E - Emergency Call, R - Righteous Justice, and O - Oversoul," I began. The four cards I mentioned appeared on the field, spelling "Hero". "Secondly, I'll bring out one more Elemental Hero: Avian." The winged warrior (1000/1000) appeared on the field to join his companions. "And here's the grand finale. Now that they're all here, they'll attack your Life Points directly. Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman, Sparkman, show that maniac what you've got. Show him what Atlantis is made of!" The four heroes looked confidently at their quarry, and all of them became engulfed in energy. Avian became enshrouded in green light, Burstinatrix in red, Clayman in yellow, and Sparkman in blue. All four heroes, now greatly empowered, charged to Thatehos and practically obliterated him, sending his Life Points plummeting to 0.

"Atlantis has been avenged, Thatehos. My kinsmen can now rest in peace, and your reign of terror is over," I said, glad that it was no over. But something was off. Even though Thatehos's Life Points were now 0, his two monsters were still present and only now did the Swords of Revealing Light disappear.

"Hey, what's going on? Didn't I just win?" I asked aloud. Just then, Thatehos looked up, his face like that of an irate dragon and his red eye matching the fires of hell itself.

"I am through playing games with you, Demetrios!" he roared with the voice of a demon. He reached for his Deck and drew one more card.

"This card will destroy you once and for all! I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Throne of Chaos! I sacrifice Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu to summon the most powerful monster of all! I summon evil itself, Azathoth!" the priest shouted. Both monsters disappeared, and the most terrible sight I ever saw appeared above the field. It looked like a chaotic mass of red and gold slime. Of course, "slime" was the best word I could think of, for I had no idea what this thing was. In the center of this chaos, an enormous red eye opened. Despite the creature's lack of a face, the eye looked at me with the most terrible contempt, as if it hated me just for existing. But the creature's appearance wasn't the only thing that was so terrifying about it. Its Attack and Defense Points were…Infinity!

"Look in horror upon evil itself, Atlantean! You cannot ever hope to destroy this creature! You will die, and your world with you!" Thatehos continued to roar in his demoniac voice. As much as I hated to admit it, he may have been right. How could I defeat something with infinitely many Defense Points alone?

"I'll show you the power of Azathoth. Destroy his Clayman!" the priest commanded. The eye fired an intense beam of evil red energy, which completely annihilated Clayman. The clay warrior's body disintegrated down to the subatomic level, and was destroyed terribly. How can I destroy something like that? I wondered desperately. I quickly switched my remaining monsters to Defense Mode and drew one more card in the hopes of proving him wrong. I got Burst Return.

"I activate the Spell Card, Burst Return. Everyone, come back," I said. Avian and Sparkman returned to my hand, leaving Burstinatrix as my sole defender. Thatehos laughed demonically.

"What's this? A sacrificial lamb? You Atlanteans are so funny," the priest said, still chuckling.

"You won't be laughing when you see what I have next," I said. I didn't wait for my next turn; I had to act now. I drew again, and got…one of the cards I couldn't see earlier, Legend of Heart.

"I activate one final Spell Card, Legend of Heart," I declared. This time, Thatehos did not laugh.

"What? You actually have that card?" he asked, and I thought I could hear shock in his voice.

"I sacrifice 500 Life Points and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to activate it, and then I remove Timaeus, Critias, and Helmos from play," I continued without answering his question. Burstinatrix disappeared, and all three Legendary Dragons appeared in her place. Suddenly, a wave of golden light descended from the sky and washed over the Dragons. They…started to change. In a matter of moments, they became human. They turned into the three generals I saw in my vision of the battle between Thatehos's demonic forces and Atlantis! I somehow returned them to their rightful selves.

"We have returned!" Timaeus declared.

"Atlantis has need of us," Critias said.

"And we have answered," Helmos concluded. All three drew their swords.

"In the name of Atlantis, we have been reborn!" they said in unison as they raised their swords together. I added mine in the mix.

"Lord Demetrios, you're alive!" Helmos said.

"How did you survive?" Timaeus asked.

"I don't have time to answer that now. Atlantis does indeed need you again," I said, pointing at Thatehos and Azathoth with my sword.

"Thatehos! You will pay for what you've done to our homeland," Critias said angrily.

"I think not, Atlantean. Azathoth is omnipotent; he can never be destroyed. Attack!" the priest said. All three knights jumped out of the way.

"Are you guys all right?" I asked.

"We will be," Helmos assured me.

"How can this be?" the priest asked again.

"Thanks to Critias's special ability. I activated Mirror Force from the Graveyard," I said. But I knew I couldn't keep it up forever. I needed to do something else, so I drew one more time. I got Relay Soul. This might come in handy.

"I lay a card face down," I said.

"Is that wise, my Lord?" Timaeus asked me.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," I said.

"You're beginning to try my patience, Atlanteans. Azathoth, attack again!" Thatehos said. The nightmare struck out another tendril of slime, and this time struck Timaeus! My Life Points came down to 0, but I was far from defeated.

"I activate the Trap Card, Relay Soul. I'm sorry to do this to you, but I summon the Cure Mermaid in Defense Mode," I said. The beautiful mermaid (1500/800) appeared on the field.

"You certainly have a knack for stalling for time, prince," Thatehos said.

"Actually, that was my plan. We're in the same situation now. Once our forces are gone, we're defeated. And I think I know who that'll be," I said. The Cure Mermaid smiled at me as she healed my Life Points to 800.

"And since Critias and Helmos are still here, I can bring back Timaeus," I continued. A stream of light appeared, and Timaeus was returned to life.

"Satan _will_ triumph! Azathoth, destroy the Cure Mermaid!" the priest roared. The monster's eye looked at her with ill intent, and fired another tendril. It came right for her!

"Not so fast!" Helmos said. He leapt in front of the Cure Mermaid and blocked the attack.

"What? But how?" Thatehos asked in shock.

"Simple. Helmos can emulate the effect of any effect monster in my Graveyard. And I chose the Cyber Dragon for his quickness," I explained.

"Lord Demetrios, we cannot fight this demon individually," Critias said to me.

"We must unite our swords," Timaeus added.

"You're right. I don't think we can take another blow like that," I said. "Timaeus, Critias, Helmos, unite your swords!"

"At once, my Lord!" all three knights said simultaneously. They crossed their swords again, and combined into a single entity, the Knight of Destiny. They became…my Atlantean self! It was as I was in the antediluvian days of Atlantis. He was wearing the proud golden armor I once saw him (or should I say me?) wearing, and wielding the very sword I hold now. His Attack Points were also infinitely many.

"No! This cannot be!" Thatehos said in shock.

"You will pay for your heinous crimes, Thatehos, and it will be by my blade," the Knight of Destiny and I said simultaneously. The warrior charged like a rhinoceros, shouting at the top of his lungs and raising his sword. He leapt and came eye to eye with Azathoth.

"Justice has come!" the knight and I said in unison. He slashed Azathoth across the eye twice, and thrust his sword deep into the organ. Azathoth let out a tremendous roar, and…it seemed like something was pulling on him. The knight jumped back down and joined me on the ground.

"NOOOOO!" Azathoth shouted, and we could see what was pulling on him. It was a supermassive black hole of sorts, drawing him into its infinite black abyss. In a matter of moments, all traces of the monster were gone, and suddenly, the black hole went supernova and exploded spectacularly. I won the battle. Atlantis was avenged, and Lily was saved.

"You will pay for this, Atlantean!" Thatehos roared, and grabbed his staff, raising it above his head while pointing with his left hand at me. Suddenly, he gasped, and stopped. I noticed that his eye started to darken and sink, and he became really wrinkly. I realized what was happening. Thatehos was dying. He was over 10,000 years old, and now it was catching up with him. His skin started to rot away, revealing the decaying muscles and organs underneath. His lower right arm bone broke in half, and when the staff fell to the ground, the ruby orb in the dragon's mouth shattered like glass, and the staff itself also started to rot and decay. In only a minute, only Thatehos's skeleton remained, and it wasn't long before even that started to disintegrate. Even his robes started to rot. In another minute, Thatehos was reduced to a pile of dust. The millennia-old sorcerer, who caused so much pain and suffering, was no more.

"Your Highness, Thatehos is no more," Timaeus said.

"Atlantis is avenged," Critias added.

"Yes, but there's one more thing that needs doing," I said as I walked to the statue that was once Lily. It was hard to keep back my tears as I looked into the ruby face. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around the statue's body. Timaeus, Critias, and Helmos held their hands over their hearts. I don't know what made me do it, but I kissed the (literal) ruby lips. As I continued kissing her, I felt something. It felt like…I was being kissed back. I don't know, but I also felt soft hands caressing my back and shoulders. Could it be? I opened my eyes…and saw Lily…coming back to life! I backed away, and saw that Lily was gradually turning back from ruby into flesh and bone. She smiled as I watched, and I hugged her tightly again.

"Lily...I'm so glad you're back. You have no idea what I went through," I said.

"It's all right; we're together again, _mon amour_, as it should be," Lily said, her voice as sweet as ever. We kissed again, loving and fondly remembering the feel of it.

"Is it over? Is Thatehos gone?" she asked.

"Yes. That's all that left of him," I said, pointing to the pile of dust.

"I've never felt more relieved," Lily said.

"Me too. Let's get out of here," I agreed. I sheathed my sword.

"Generals, you're dismissed," I said.

"Yes, my Lord," the knights said simultaneously, and they disappeared.

"What was that all about?" Lily asked confusedly.

"It's a long story," I said as we walked out of the chamber. I noticed something as we walked out. Whatever was causing the glowing in the glass bottle in Satan's left hand flew out of it and scattered in all directions. What could that be? We opened the doors and left the chamber.

"Lily, are you all right?" Téa asked.

"Glad to be able to move again," Lily answered with a chuckle.

"Congratulations, Demetrios. You've won," the Pharaoh said, and he turned back into Yugi Moto.

"And I'm glad I did. Don't ask about Thatehos's cards," I said.

"Hey guys, come quick! You're not going to believe this!" Tristan said, almost out of breath. All four of us followed him back to the courtyard. None of us could believe what we saw. Once where there were statues, the place was full of life. Everyone was becoming mobile again after so much time being immobile. The dog owners were happily reunited with their pets.

"Uh, Yugi, would you mind explaining what just happened?" Bakura asked him in his usual shy voice.

"It's a long story," Yugi said with much embarrassment.

"I'll say it is," we heard Marik say as he got back up. We also heard clapping.

"Well done, Yugi Boy. You undid the curse," Pegasus told us.

"Actually, we should be thanking _you_, Pegasus. That card you were holding onto saved us all," Lily added.

"Ah, so you made good use of the Angel's Mirror?" he asked further.

"I'll say it did. Who would have thought that a seemingly ordinary card game would be the key to saving the world?" I said.

"Welcome to _our_ world," Tristan said with witty sarcasm.

"Things are just getting better from here," Téa said. I looked up, and saw a dragon flying in the night sky.

"Your welcome," I whispered as it disappeared from sight. "All right, everybody. Let's get out of this old relic and never return." It wasn't long before the monastery courtyard was empty.

"Hey guys, look!" Tristan said. We followed him, for one member of the courtyard remained. We all noticed it. Joey started to stir. He opened his eyes, finally.

"How long was I out?" he asked groggily.

"Who cares? It's good to have you back," I said proudly.

"Wait, so it's over? Thatehos is gone?" he asked.

"He sure is," I answered.

"I'm glad that's over with," Joey said, glad to be awake.

"I couldn't agree more," I said.

"Don't worry, my love. Soon, we'll be home, and we can get on with our lives," Lily assured me, wrapping her arms around me. I was about to hug her back, until I heard Moon Shadow neighing frantically. Suddenly, the ground started to shake.

"Time to go!" Joey said. We all ran as quickly out of the monastery as we could. In only a short time, it was reduced to a pile of rubble. But oddly, the statue of Satan still remained.

"Why is that still standing?" I wondered, and slowly walked toward it.

"D, please don't. I can still sense something evil in the area," Lily advised.

"I'll be all right," I assured her. No sooner did I say that than the evil thing appeared. It was Thatehos's spirit! He was a pale ghost, but he looked just as terrible in death as he did in life. He looked at me with utmost fury, and then flew into the statue of Satan.

"Looks like we have another fight on our hands," I said as I drew my sword. Suddenly, the ground started to tremble again as…the statue came to life! His hand crushed the glass bottle, as it was no longer needed. The statue's passive face started to distort and twist as it roared furiously. The left half of the face started to crumble, and an enormous blood red orb appeared where the eye used to be. The now living statue emerged from its throne, and the claws on its hands became longer and sharper, and dragonlike wings emerged from its back.

"It can't be! He's alive again!" Yugi said, and quickly turned back into the Pharaoh. The statue looked down at me, and was insanely furious.

"You cannot escape the Master's vigilance!" he roared, and thrust his enormous fist right at me! I rolled out of the way just in time; the ground trembled as he punched it. I saw some kind of red energy seep from the statue's body, and once again the Seal of Satan formed around us, sealing us in.

"Why won't you die?" I asked.

"I will complete my destiny! Satan shall conquer this world as he has many others, and I'll start with you, Atlantean scum!" he said. He charged and kicked me with his goat-like hooves, sending me across the supernatural arena and slamming into the energy barrier, which shocked me half to death! Lily gasped at the punishment I was receiving.

"This has gone on long enough! I don't care about that Seal thing; I'm helping him out!" Joey said angrily as he brought out his Duel Disk.

"Joey, what are you doing?" Téa asked.

"Helping out my friend. Hey D, say hello to your reinforcements: Gearfried the Swordmaster, Gilford the Lightning, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Joey said. All three of his monsters appeared in an instant. "Guys, show that Thatehos creep what you're made of!" His two warriors charged and hacked at Thatehos with their enormous swords, while the Dragon flew above the battlefield and bombarded the demon with its fireballs. Thatehos simply kicked away the warriors and fired a beam from his red eye, shooting down the Dragon.

"Stupid mortals! I have the powers of darkness on my side! You cannot destroy me! Satan is forever!" he roared.

"You will not have your destiny, Thatehos!" the Pharaoh shouted as he prepared his own Duel Disk. "I summon Black Luster Soldier, Buster Blader, and Dark Magician!" His own monsters appeared on the field to join Joey's. "Attack that demon!" All six monsters ganged up on the living statue, and I joined in the fray. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon unleashed the strongest fireball it could muster, while the Dark Magician did the same with his magic. The extra-powerful attacks caused an enormous explosion.

"Wow! Nothing could survive that!" Joey said, confident that our adversary was destroyed. Suddenly, an arm emerged and waved away the smoke. The statue's marble body was starting to break, but it was not destroyed! There was demonic flesh pulsing under that stony skin.

"You've got to be joking!" Téa said.

"None shall defy me!" Thatehos roared, and with only a few swipes of his claws, all four Warrior-Type monsters were destroyed, and with a couple of spells, the Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon were destroyed as well.

"Now it's my turn," I said as I prepared my Duel Disk as well.

"Timaeus, Critias, Helmos, it is time to strike!" I said. The three knights appeared once more to aid their general.

"What? The Dragons are knights?" Joey asked with confusion.

"They are now," I said.

"This is no duel, Atlantean! This is death!" Thatehos shouted, and charged toward me again. I drew my sword again, and all four of us prepared to fight. Timaeus swiped at the creature's leg, which caused it to stumble. Critias and Helmos jumped and cut at its neck. Thatehos breathed hellfire at us, knocking us all back. Thatehos got back up, and was about to make another of his sacrilegious taunts, but then an energy beam came out of nowhere, which blasted his chest open, showing a crystalline heart. My eyes widened with surprise as I saw this turn of events. I turned around, and saw Lily with her Duel Disk on her left arm and XYZ-Dragon Cannon behind her, its cannons smoking.

"Thanks," I said, still surprised by it.

"Lord Demetrios, the enemy is vulnerable! Strike now!" Timaeus said. I nodded to him and ran toward Thatehos, sword in the air. He tried to grab me, but I dodged his enormous hand and climbed up his leg as quickly as I could. He tried stab me with his claws, but I jumped up just in time and got to where his heart was.

"This is for Atlantis!" I said, and thrust Dragon Claw into the heart. Energy started to glow intensely from the breakage, and Thatehos started to roar again.

"And this is for Lily!" I said again, and did it again. This time, the hole I made was larger, and the heart exploded from all the energy being unleashed. Thatehos roared again, louder than ever, and the energy outflow became so bright and intense that the statue _exploded!_

"D!" Joey said.

"No…" Lily said. Suddenly, I flew backward from the blast and landed hardly on the ground. I don't know how I survived, but I could hardly see straight. The last thing I remember seeing was everyone running up to me, and then a red rose growing alone out of the ground, and then, Lily kneeling down next to me and saying, "Don't worry, _mon amour_, everything will be all right…" That was the last thing I heard before becoming completely unconscious.

Epilogue

Suddenly, I could start feeling again, and I could feel a soothing presence over me. I opened my eyes, and saw Shandara standing over me, along with Timaeus, Critias, and Helmos.

"Shandara? Boy am I glad to see you," I said.

"Yes, I'm glad to see you too, Demetrios. I'm very proud of you. You've overcome the greatest challenge this world has ever faced, and prevented Thatehos from unleashing Hell on the Earth," she said, hugging me tightly. I was a little confused by this, seeing as how professional she acted before, but hey; who would turn down a hug from an angel?

"And not only that, my Lord, you avenged Atlantis as well," Timaeus added.

"Because of your courage, we have become human again, as it should be," said Critias.

"We can rest in peace now, with the greatest of the Atlantean heroes," Helmos said.

"Hey, that reminds me. Shandara, where are we, exactly? Eh, am I alive too?" I asked, letting go of her embrace.

"In a manner of speaking, I'm afraid," she said hesitantly.

"I was afraid of that," I said, not liking the idea of dying again.

"I wouldn't worry too much. I have a feeling you'll be waking up very soon. As for us, we'll be returning to Heaven," Shandara said, as she and the Atlantean generals became bathed in holy light.

"Farewell, Lord Demetrios. We'll see you again someday," Timaeus said.

"Thank you, all of you. When you see my family up there, hail them for me," I said, and the light faded, and everyone was gone. But where did that leave me now?

"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Beaumont, but his chances don't look good," the doctor said, trying not to sound too curt. Lily's eyes were already glassy with tears and lack of sleep, while I was lying in a hospital bed, all my wounds taken care of, but I was in a deep coma. The graphical line on my heart rate monitor was flat for a few inches, then would jump a little, and go back to flat, and so on. Only the faintest of breaths came out of my nose. The doctor left the room, not because he was cold or uncaring, but because he did not want to see Lily suffering. She reached across my unresponsive body.

"No, please don't die. We've been through too much already," she said, unknowingly but instinctively hugging me and holding my head up to her chest, nuzzling it in her cleavage. She began to cry again, terrified at the thought of losing me. The tears flowed down her face once more, and a few dripped down onto my own. Suddenly, a miracle happened. The heart rate monitor started to skyrocket, and I could slowly but surely start moving again. I slowly opened my eyes, and while my vision was blurry, I could see nonetheless. I could hear as well, and I could hear Lily's crying. I slowly reached up and wiped the tears away.

"It's…all right, Lily…I'm…still here," I said weakly. I haven't regained strength in my voice yet, but that was enough. Almost immediately, Lily stopped crying.

"Demetrios, you're alive!" she said, and hugged me as tightly as she could. I felt a little suffocated from it, but I was glad to be able to receive it once more. Reluctantly, she let go of me and ran out of the room.

"Everyone, he's all right! He's alive!" I could hear her say happily. Suddenly, the room filled up. Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Téa all poured in, all of them glad to see me alive and mobile again. I was glad as well. Thatehos and the Esoteric Order of the Dark Sunrise were both gone forever, and we could now get on with our lives.

A year later, Seto Kaiba opened one more tournament: The KC Grand Prix. Lily and I gladly participated, welcoming the fights against normal duelists as opposed to insane ones infused with demonic powers. We may not have won, but we had a good time all the same. Yugi Moto was the victor, after trouncing Leon von Schroeder, the younger brother of the nearly defunct Schroeder Corp CEO, Zigfried von Schroeder. Later that year, Yugi and company headed to Egypt for some adventure or another. I could not join, for Lily and I got married after the Grand Prix ended. We've been happily married ever since, and have one son, Luke, named after my father. He has quite the knack for dueling, and even dreams of becoming the next King of Games. Lily and I hope to help him accomplish that goal.

But what happened to the surviving members of the Esoteric Order of the Dark Sunrise, those that merely had their souls sucked out instead of being banished to hell? Well, without their master, they became demoralized and disarrayed, but they died shortly thereafter under mysterious circumstances, to say the least. Graveshade, however, was not one of them. It turns out he actually died 900 years ago; the magic of the Orichalcos was the only thing keeping him alive. When Thatehos's power was broken, so was the Orichalcos, and Graveshade turned to sand and dust.

Some events have gone on in the world of dueling as well. Seto Kaiba, being the altruist he is (though he would never admit it), has decided to build a school devoted to the art and game of Duel Monsters. It will be called Duel Academy, and is currently under construction.

Pegasus seemed quite interested in the Sacred Beast Cards (the three monsters Samuel used against me), and did a lot of research on them. Deeming them incredibly dangerous, a man by the name of Sheppard volunteered to take the cards into safekeeping.

And so, after that hair-raising and terrifying adventure, things quieted down considerably. Especially considering that natural plants and animals have returned to where Thatehos's monastery once stood, leaving no evidence that the Esoteric Order of the Dark Sunrise ever staked out there. Now are peaceful days, spent with my loving wife and dueling with my son. I don't know if these days of peace will last forever, but right now we're just enjoying them as they come.

Of course, this journey was not the only one I had. Even in the afterlife, I continued to have many amazing adventures. And so, this story shall also be told…

_Oh yeah, before I forget, here's a good laugh to go out on. I know, some people might say the ending was a little _too_ sweet, so here's a funny alternate ending_:

The heart rate monitor started to skyrocket, and I could slowly but surely start moving again. I slowly opened my eyes, and while my vision was blurry, I could see nonetheless.

"...am I dead?" I asked with much grogginess.

"Yes," Joey answered.

"NOOOOOOO!" I said. Of course, this produced more sweat drops than laughs.


End file.
